While the more than 3 and a half million people who bought tickets to this year’s World Cup matches were preparing suitcases and passports to travel to the United States, Canada and Mexico, a powerful former leader of the Cali cartel was preparing to send a shipment of cocaine from its laboratory in the Peruvian Amazon, taking advantage of the massive attendance at the event.
But after several surveillances of his 4×4 truck and his partners and telephone interceptions, the Anti-Drug Directorate of the National Police of Peru (Dirandro) found him. captured in a hotel in the city of Chiclayo where he was staying with his partner on May 12.
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The security body
Follows ‘Old Palpatine’ along with his Chinese escorts. Photo:Panorama
This is Arcesio Trujillo, a 67-year-old native of Ibagué (Tolima), known in the Peruvian mafia as Old Palpatine. and who they point out as a former former leader of the extinct Cali cartel.
According to immigration records of that country, inentered Peru for the first time in December 2006 and since then has had at least 23 entries, most from 2023when he arrived in the country fleeing, according to the Police of that country, from disputes with the Colombian guerrilla and other drug traffickers.
However, In 2026 he entered Peru only twice, before his capture.
It was during this period that intelligence agents followed him while he was moving in a black Toyota 4×4 truck. and frequented restaurants, accompanied by two escorts of Chinese nationality.
According to the Police of that country, the two Asians arrived in Peru exclusively to protect ‘Old Palpatine’ and They do not rule out that they may have links with international criminal organizations interested in Peruvian cocaine.
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The laboratory in the Amazon
The laboratory in the Peruvian Amazon linked to ‘Old Palpatine’. Photo:Panorama
Within the file against ‘Old Palpatine’ there are telephone interceptions of conversations with his partners in which he exerts pressure to accelerate the production of cocaineclaiming that they had only 400 of the 700 kilos that needed to be sent, according to Peruvian authorities, to the United States during the Soccer World Cup.
That shipment, valued at approximately 21 million dollars, It was seized the same day that ‘Old Palpatine’ was captured and left from his megalaboratory in Baguain the Peruvian Amazon.
The drug was destined for the port of Paita, on the northern coast of that country, where it would be taken in coves in private vehicles, in brick-type packages marked with orange butterflies from where would be sent abroad through contacts with other international criminal organizations.
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‘Old Palpatine’ was arrested in a hotel in Peru, where he was staying with his partner. Photo:Panorama
In addition, among the surveillance to find the shipment of cocaine that was going to be sent to the Soccer World Cupthe supposed right hand of ‘Old Palpatine’ appears, whom they identify with the alias Chiqui.
‘Chiqui’ was followed to ‘Old Palpatine’s’ laboratory in the Peruvian Amazon.
Now, Colombian authorities seek to establish whether alias Viejo Palpatine had drug trafficking businesses in the country.
And if he acquired luxurious goods with money from illicit activities.
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