Latest news with #Cuchillo
TimesLIVE
16-05-2025
- TimesLIVE
Peru says suspect in miner killings arrested in Colombia
Peru's interior ministry said on Thursday a suspect in the killing of 13 miners in the northern district of Pataz has been arrested in Colombia. The ministry said in a post on X the arrest of Miguel Rodriguez, alias 'Cuchillo' or 'Knife', was the result of extensive intelligence work and co-ordination between the Peruvian and Colombian National police and Interpol. Earlier this month, workers at a gold mine in northern Peru were kidnapped and murdered by illegal miners allied with criminal groups, according to police and industry sources, among a wave of violence over control of the area which has forced the government to establish a military facility there.
Al Jazeera
16-05-2025
- Al Jazeera
Peru arrests suspect in gold rush massacre
Police have arrested the main suspect in the kidnapping and murder in early May of 13 gold miners in Peru. Miguel Antonio Rodriguez Diaz, also known by the alias 'Cuchillo' (Knife), was detained in the Colombian city of Medellin on Thursday, the Ministry of the Interior in Lima said. The murders in early May put the spotlight on increasing violence provoked by a gold rush in Peru's northern Pataz district. The burned bodies of 13 missing gold miners were recovered after being reported as kidnapped by illegal miners allied with criminal armed groups. Diaz was detained in a joint operation by the Peruvian National Police, Interpol and the Colombian National Police, the Peruvian ministry stated. He is accused of 'organised crime, aggravated kidnapping, and aggravated homicide' and due to be extradited back to Peru. Colombia's police chief, Carlos Triana, wrote on X that the capture of Diaz was with the support of the United States Homeland Security Investigations agency, which is responsible for investigating transnational criminal gangs. The suspect's lawyer, Kevin Diaz, told local radio station RPP that his client had been in Venezuela for 'a few days' before returning to Colombia, where he was arrested. The wave of violence sparked by the gold rush in Pataz has led the government to establish a military facility in the area. Mining company La Poderosa, which owns the mine where the murders took place, claimed earlier this month that nearly 40 people, including contractors and miners, have been recently killed in the district by criminal gangs. The threat is of national importance. As one of Latin America's biggest gold producers, mining is a key economic avenue in Peru. However, with the financial success of the market, illegal mining has taken off. The practice involves more money than drug trafficking, amounting to $3bn-4bn per year, according to the government. That has helped bring an unprecedented wave of gang violence, with several areas of the country under a state of emergency.
Daily Maverick
16-05-2025
- Daily Maverick
Peru says suspect in miner killings arrested in Colombia
The ministry said in a post on X that the arrest of Miguel Rodriguez, alias 'Cuchillo' or 'Knife,' followed extensive intelligence work and coordination between the Peruvian and Colombian National Police and Interpol. Earlier this month, workers at a gold mine in northern Peru were kidnapped and murdered by illegal miners that were allied with criminal groups, according to police and industry sources, among a wave of violence over control of the area, which has forced the government to establish a military facility there. A lawyer for the suspect, Kevin Diaz, told local radio station RPP that his client had been in Venezuela for 'a few days' before returning to Colombia, where he was arrested. Rodriguez had previously denied involvement in the killings in an interview with a local television station. Illegal mining in Peru, mainly for gold, has begun moving more money than drug trafficking, between $3 billion and $4 billion, per year, according to the government. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Writing by Natalia Siniawski and Rafael Escalera Montoto; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
BBC News
16-05-2025
- BBC News
Colombian police arrest alleged suspect in Peru mine workers' killings
Police in Colombia have arrested the alleged main suspect in the murder of 13 kidnapped workers at a gold mine in neighbouring Antonio Rodríguez Díaz, whose alias is "Cuchillo" (knife), was arrested in the city of Medellin in a joint operation between the two countries and Interpol, according to Peru's interior ministry and Colombian bodies of the miners were recovered on 4 May from a tunnel at a mine in the Pataz district of Peru.A lawyer for Mr Diaz has denied his involvement in the killings. Peru is one of the largest gold producers in Latin America and has seen a surge in violence from illegal miners and organised criminal gangs. The 13 men killed in Pataz had been sent to confront a group which had attacked and occupied the mine but were ambushed and seized as they were trying to regain control of it, Peruvian authorities Diaz is suspected of allegedly ordering the storming of the mine's entrance, with the aim of stealing gold extracted by miners, Peru's interior ministry said in a is accused of "organised crime, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated homicide", it added.A video posted by authorities showed him being detained by armed police in a busy downtown area of police chief Carlos Triana said Mr Diaz was located with the support of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and was subject to an Interpol red interior ministry said they expected Mr Diaz to be extradited to Peru in the coming Poderosa, which owns the mine where the murders took place, previously said 39 people with links to the company have been killed by criminal gangs in Pataz in most recent attack prompted Peru's President Dina Boluarte to impose a night-time curfew in Pataz and to suspend mining activities for a month. Extra police and soldiers were also sent to the region.
