Inmates stand in a courtyard at El Milagro Prison in Trujillo, Peru, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd
Relatives of Jose Perez mourn as police recover his body from a ravine where he was found shot in Trujillo, Peru, Friday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Relatives and friends carry the coffin of Gian Marco Garcia, who was killed by a hitman in El Porvenir, a district of Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 25, 2026.(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Illuminated by the lights of a police patrol car, neighbors walk past a car repair and auto parts shop targeted in a dynamite attack in Trujillo, Peru, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Police officers display evidence during a news conference following the arrest of alleged members of a criminal gang in Trujillo, Peru, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Diane Aguilar, left, and her daughter Perla pose for a photograph with a portrait of Aguilar's husband, Oscar Lavado, who was killed by hitmen on motorbike as he was driving his car weeks earlier, in Trujillo, Peru, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
An inmate lines up for lunch at El Milagro Prison in Trujillo, Peru, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A map showing cases of extortion and murder in the La Esperanza district is displayed on the computer of an investigative police officer in Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
An aerial view of the La Esperanza district in Trujillo, Peru, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A man works at a tire shop adorned with a statue of Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo in the El Milagro district of Trujillo, Peru, Sunday, May 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Children carry flowers during the funeral of Gian Marco Garcia, who was killed by a hitman in El Porvenir, a district of Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Ivan Diaz, a money lender, shows his hand with fingers he says were amputated by kidnappers who abducted him and later released him after a ransom was paid, in Trujillo, Peru, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Gladys Saavedra, who works at an open-air market in Alto Trujillo and says she has been the target of gang extortion since 2018, speaks during an interview in Trujillo, Peru, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Residents stand at the Mirador overlooking the El Porvenir neighborhood in Trujillo, Peru, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Inmates make phone calls at El Milagro Prison in Trujillo, Peru, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A building damaged in an explosives attack that police say was linked to extortion stands in Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A neighbor records the scene with a cellphone as police recover the body of Jose Perez from a ravine where he was found shot in Trujillo, Peru, Friday, May 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Police officers carry the body of Jose Perez from the ravine where he was found shot in Trujillo, Peru, Friday, May 30, 2026.(AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
An officer guards an investigative police unit in Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
A police officer escorts a detainee accused of being part of a criminal gang after a news conference at a downtown police station in Trujillo, Peru, Thursday, May 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Giovana Rosas burns cables to extract copper for sale in the El Milagro district of Trujillo, Peru, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Police officers raise the Peruvian flag outside a criminal investigations unit in Trujillo, Peru, Monday, May 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Audio By Carbonatix
2:00 PM on Tuesday, June 2
By RODRIGO ABD
TRUJILLO, Peru (AP) — Trujillo mourned its dead, killed in crime waves that have targeted this Peruvian city. Small business owners struggle and extortion by gangs is rampant as in many other places across the South American country.
Insecurity has emerged as a key concern ahead of a presidential runoff in Peru on Sunday, shaping people's daily routines and influencing how Peruvians see their country's future.
Over the past five years, extortion has increased fivefold, reaching nearly 29,000 reported cases in 2025. During the same period, killings have more than doubled, with authorities saying that 2,226 people were killed last year.
Criminal groups increasingly target small businesses, transport workers, market vendors and other entrepreneurs, demanding regular payments in exchange for allowing them to operate.
The impact extends far beyond the economic cost. Across the country, residents describe living with a constant sense of vulnerability as bomb attacks, kidnappings, killings and threats have surged.
It seems everyone in Peru knows someone who has been the victim of crime. Neighbors or loved ones have been extorted in order to keep their business open — or they have been kidnapped or killed.
Finding bodies on the streets or pulled out of ravines has become commonplace.
In some neighborhoods, businesses display symbols indicating they are paying extortion fees, while others invest heavily in private security to compensate for a limited police presence.
Security experts attribute the growing influence of organized crime to profits generated by illegal mining and other activities, as well as chronic underfunding of police investigative units and outdated technology. They also point to recent legal changes that have made it more difficult for authorities to detain suspects, seize criminal assets and dismantle criminal networks.
___
This is a documentary photo story curated by AP photo editors.
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