Peru seals five mega-prisons, military and police take 60‑day control

Lima—The Peruvian government announced on Monday that it is imposing a 60‑day emergency state on the nation’s five highest‑security super‑prisons, authorising police and the armed forces to take full control of the facilities, airspace and communications both inside and around the prisons. The measure is intended to sever the command chains of criminal organisations that use the prisons as operational bases. It also permits the deployment of military personnel to conduct searches and arrests, with strict penalties for violations.

Peru, the third‑largest country in Latin America with a population of more than 32 million, has long been plagued by drug trafficking and gang activity. In recent years, inmates in super‑prisons have exploited smuggled mobile phones and internet equipment to direct external criminal operations and have even instigated several internal riots and escape attempts. At the end of 2023, a large‑scale clash erupted at the San Martin prison in the capital, Lima, resulting in multiple casualties and highlighting both security gaps and the reach of criminal networks.

The emergency state targets five key facilities located in Lima, Arequipa and Cusco, which primarily house drug‑cartel and gang leaders. The government said it will temporarily block drones and communication channels over the prisons and intensify crackdowns on external smuggling routes to prevent inmates from using high‑technology methods to command outside forces. The Justice Ministry also indicated that it will review prison‑management policies during the emergency period to prevent similar security breaches in the future.

Domestic and international observers have expressed divergent views. Some human‑rights organisations warn that military involvement could erode prisoners’ basic rights and call on the government to ensure that interrogation and detention procedures meet international standards while maintaining security. Security experts, however, argue that without a thorough shutdown of the prisons’ criminal command centres, curbing the cross‑border flow of drugs and weapons will remain difficult. The Peruvian President, speaking at a press conference, described the emergency state as a “necessary measure in extraordinary times” and pledged to restore normalcy once the 60‑day period ends.

For Taiwan, Peru’s action serves as a reminder that prisons are not merely detention sites but can also function as hubs for transnational crime. Taiwan’s efforts to combat organised crime and prevent the leakage of prison‑based information could draw on Peru’s multi‑agency coordination model, strengthening communications controls and technological monitoring in prisons while safeguarding human‑rights protections to avoid legal and social disputes arising from overly harsh security measures. The case also offers insight into the challenges and policy approaches faced by Latin American countries in tackling drug and gang‑related crime.