Peru’s Capture of Criminal ‘El Monstruo’ Exposes Regional Crime Networks and Cross-Border Security Gaps

In a significant but long-overdue victory against transnational crime, Peruvian authorities announced the capture of Erick Luis Moreno Hernández, notorious as "El Monstruo." This criminal mastermind led extortion and kidnapping rings that terrorized communities in Lima and beyond. Yet his months-long evasion across Brazil and Paraguay exposes a troubling reality: Latin America's porous borders continue to enable organized crime with impunity – a threat resonating far beyond their immediate regions. Does Regional Lawlessness Threaten Our Own Borders? Moreno's arrest, achieved through coordinated efforts between Peruvian and Paraguayan police forces, was no simple feat. Dubbed the head of "Los Injertos del...