LIMA — Bus driver Toño was shot in the legs and abdomen by a criminal gang in a Lima suburb following an approximately $15,000 extortion demand transmitted to his bus company. Peru recorded nearly 30,000 extortion incidents in 2025.
Toño was unable to work for four months after the attack. The bus driver currently operates his bus with plainclothes armed police present. "They shot me in the legs and abdomen. I was out of work for four months, now I work with fear. Although my wounds are dry, internally I feel pain." Toño said. He added, "I've never been so afraid to leave my young children. If I had money, I'd leave the country."
Five drivers from the company have been attacked in extortion incidents. These attacks resulted in one death and one victim left in a vegetative state. An independent crime observatory stated that 239 bus driver fatalities occurred in Peru during the previous year.
Peru is preparing for a presidential election. Right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori has entered the presidential race for the fourth time. Her campaign platform focuses on stricter law enforcement measures, including pledges to deploy the military against organized crime, implement prison controls, and coordinate with financial institutions to block extortion proceeds. Fujimori also advocates for free-market economic policies and increased U.S. investment.
Roberto Sánchez is a left-wing candidate in the Peruvian presidential election. He has proposed reviewing mining contracts, increasing corporate tax rates, raising the minimum wage, and expanding state control over natural resources. Sánchez states that revenue generated from Peru's natural resources does not reach ordinary citizens or rural mining communities. He has also committed to releasing former left-wing President Pedro Castillo from prison.
Last year, a judge ordered Sánchez to stand trial regarding alleged undeclared campaign finances from regional elections held between 2018 and 2020. Sánchez denies the allegations and plans to file an appeal. Prosecutors dropped campaign financing allegations against Fujimori last year. Peru has experienced eight presidential transitions in the last decade, and no single political party holds a legislative majority in its congress.