The former director of Peru’s National Police was among 14 people arrested early Tuesday morning in a series of raids that rounded up alleged members of a baby-trafficking ring.
Authorities have not suggested the role Gen. Raúl Becerra played in the criminal organization but the group is suspected of targeting poor pregnant women and convincing them to sell their newborn infants, the national police said in a statement.
A five-month-old baby girl was rescued from one of 18 properties raided in the southern city of Arequipa on Tuesday morning. Officials targeted a combination of private residences, businesses and clinics.
Police Gen. Walter Ortiz told the Associated Press Becerra’s partner, Cinthia Tello, is believed to be the head of the trafficking ring, which authorities are calling “The Soulless Human Traffickers.”
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