Argentina's government says authorities in Peru have detained the suspected mastermind behind the brutal murders of three young women on the outskirts of Buenos Aires last week.
Tony Janzen Valverde Victoriano, alias “Pequeño J,” is suspected of having planned and ordered the killings of cousins Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, both aged 20, and Lara Gutiérrez, aged 15, which authorities say were linked to drug-trafficking.
Valverde, a 20-year-old Peruvian national, was arrested Tuesday in Pucusana, about 45 miles (72 kilometres) south of Lima, while attempting to flee hidden in a lorry transporting fish.
Matías Ozorio, a 28-year-old Argentine who allegedly acted as the drug boss’ second-in-command, was detained in Lima earlier Tuesday.
The detainees are the latest and most prominent arrests made in the investigation into last week’s brutal triple murder in Florencio Varela.
The buried and mutilated bodies of the three young women were discovered in the yard of a home on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, five days after they had gone missing.
"I want to congratulate the Peruvian National Police for their tremendous work and collaboration in capturing the two fugitives in the triple murder," National Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said in a statement posted on the X social network.
General Zenon Loayza Díaz, director of criminal investigation for Peru's national police, told journalists in Lima that intelligence work had led to the duo’s capture.
He said that “Pequeño J” would be transported to Lima before extradition, while Ozorio would be deported to his homeland "as soon as possible."
The duo have been charged with aggravated murder by prosecutors in Argentina.
Authorities in Argentina pre-emptively filed an extradition request before Valverde’s arrest due to expected delays, but the process could still take weeks or months.
Denial
Upon arrival in the Peruvian capital under heavy police guard, Valverde denied involvement, telling local media: “They just blamed me, we didn’t kill anyone.”
“They just blamed me, we didn’t kill anyone,” he said. “They need to find the real culprit – I had nothing to do with it.”
General Loayza Díaz said that Valverde had entered Peru from Argentina via Bolivia, and intended to reach the city of Trujillo, which lies 560 kilometres north of Lima.
According to Peruvian authorities, both suspects had crossed into the country illegally and gone into hiding.
Investigators were able to trace Valverde's movements by intercepting his mobile phone, which led them to his location near Chilca, some 75 kilometres south of Lima. He was hidden inside the cab of a lorry, behind the driver’s seat, said Loayza Díaz.
Ozorio had reportedly arranged to meet his boss at a square in the Los Olivos district of Lima.
Loayza Díaz said that the suspect has no criminal record in Peru, but that according to authorities in Argentina, he had been involved in "hitman activities" and "small-scale cocaine-dealing" for the past two years.
Reports in Argentina suggest the youngster ran a drug gang in the City neighbourhood of Zavaleta, also known as Villa 21-24.
His arrest was the result of a joint intelligence operation involving the Buenos Aires Province Security Ministry and the Peruvian National Police.
Valverde grew up in a violent, crime-ridden neighbourhood of Trujillo, Peru, known as Nueva Indoamérica. His father, a gang member, was murdered in 2018 by a rival hitman, an event that reportedly marked the young man profoundly.
Following the killing, “Pequeño J” vowed revenge in a Facebook post, local media reported.
Authorities have suggested he travelled to Argentina with the goal of reviving his family’s drug trade operations. He has no official migration record of entering the country.
Arrrests
In total, nine people have now been arrested for the brutal torture and murder of cousins Morena Verdi and Brenda del Castillo, both aged 20; and Lara Gutiérrez, aged just 15.
Their bodies were found buried in the yard of a house in Florencio Varela, a southern suburb of Buenos Aires, five days after they went missing on September 19.
The three were tortured and killed, with the horror broadcast on a closed social media group of 45 users, according to Buenos Aires Province Security Minister Javier Alonso.
According to the minister, the triple femicide was intended as a warning by a drug gang leader following an alleged theft of drugs.
City surveillance footage shows the three young women apparently getting into a car of their own accord. The vehicle took them to a house in Florencio Varela, where their lifeless bodies were found the following Wednesday.
The crime sparked widespread public outrage, culminating in a mass protest on Saturday during which thousands of people marched to the National Congress in Buenos Aires, demanding justice.
Argentine officials had pre-emptively filed an extradition request for Pequeño J even before his arrest, anticipating procedural delays.
Although both Valverde and Ozorio were arrested on the same day, their return to Argentina will follow different legal paths.
Ozorio, as an Argentine national, is expected to be deported within 48 hours. Valverde, however, faces a formal extradition process that could take weeks or even months.
Argentine officials had pre-emptively filed an extradition request for “Pequeño J” even before his arrest, anticipating procedural delays.
– TIMES/AFP/NA
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