LIMA, Peru (AP) — Just a day after stepping into the role of interim president, José Jeri wasted no time making his priorities clear. On Saturday, he spearheaded a national crackdown on organized crime, overseeing coordinated raids across prisons that house some of Peru’s most notorious gang leaders, according to the presidential office.
At just 38 years old, Jeri projected authority and resolve as he arrived at Lima’s Ancon I maximum-security prison. Dressed sharply in a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and flanked by elite security forces, he made a decisive statement in both words and image: the government was no longer turning a blind eye to rising violence. His swift action came on the heels of the abrupt removal of his predecessor, who faced heavy criticism for failing to tackle escalating crime across the country.