Colombia captures alleged Tren de Aragua chief wanted by U.S.
Luis Saúl Pérez Nieto, also known as "Páez" or "Nairobi," was arrested in Fontibón, a district in western Bogotá. De la Espriella identified him as the gang's top leader in Peru and a trusted associate of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as "Niño Guerrero," the leader of the Venezuelan criminal organization.
Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang in Tocorón and expanded across South America and into the United States. It has been involved in murder, extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, sex trafficking, kidnapping and other violent acts.
"Nairobi" allegedly coordinated extortion, international arms trafficking, targeted killings and drug trafficking along strategic routes in South and Central America, according to the president's announcement.
De la Espriella said U.S. authorities wanted Pérez Nieto in connection with those crimes. Colombian and U.S. officials have not publicly disclosed the jurisdiction handling the case, the specific charges against him or whether Washington has submitted an extradition request.
"Colombia will not be a refuge or sanctuary for any criminal," De la Espriella said. "We will pursue them, capture them and bring them to justice, no matter where they come from."
The operation involved Colombia's National Police and Attorney General's Office, along with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to Colombian outlets.
Police sources told Semana that Pérez Nieto was allegedly involved in trafficking ketamine, cocaine and weapons from Bogotá. Authorities had been tracking his movements in the Colombian capital before carrying out the arrest.
Peruvian media also reported the detention, but authorities in Peru had not announced whether Pérez Nieto faces charges or an extradition request there.
Tren de Aragua originated in Venezuela's Tocorón prison and later expanded across South and Central America and into the United States. Washington designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025.
The State Department has offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction of "Niño Guerrero." The U.S. government has accused him of expanding Tren de Aragua from a prison gang into a criminal network operating across the Western Hemisphere.
Argentine household debt surges to highest level in region
The country has the highest bank loan delinquency rate in Latin America, as household debt surges and millions of borrowers fall behind on payments amid declining purchasing power and a rising cost of living.
A report by the Argentine Center for Political Economy, or CEPA, based on data from the Central Bank and its Central Debtors Registry, shows a sharp deterioration in households' ability to repay debt.
According to the study, delinquency rates have reached levels not seen since Argentina's 2001 economic crisis.
The problem extends from traditional banks to newer financial platforms. In June, 12.8% of bank loans to households were delinquent. Among digital wallets and other companies providing credit outside the banking system, the rate reached 30.1%.
The deterioration began to accelerate in late 2024. In October that year, just 2.5% of bank loans to households were delinquent. By June 2026, the rate had increased more than fivefold.
The problem is even more severe in digital lending. The delinquency rate rose from 7.3% in November 2024 to 30.1% in June, surpassing the peak recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it reached 27.1% in May 2020.
Official data showed 20.96 million people had debts with banks or nonbank credit providers in June 2026. Of those, 5.91 million were behind on payments.
Argentina also ranks first in Latin America for bank loan delinquency. A report by the Latin American Federation of Banks, or Felaban, published by Infobae, compared 16 Latin American countries and found that 7.3% of loans issued by Argentine banks to the private sector were delinquent in the first quarter of 2026.
That was well above the regional average of 2.78%. Argentina ranked ahead of Brazil at 4.3% and Colombia at 3.7%.
The regional figures cover only traditional banks. They do not include loans issued by digital wallets, fintech companies and other nonbank credit providers.
Opponents of President Javier Milei's government say the rise in delinquency is a consequence of his administration's economic austerity measures and deregulation. The government, however, says banks, financial companies and borrowers should resolve the problem themselves.
Milei and Economy Minister Luis Caputo have described the situation as a "problem between private parties."
The government's position was reiterated this week during a news conference by presidential spokesman Adrián Ravier.
"The problem here, to a large extent, lies with the banks and nonbank financial institutions that issued loans at high interest rates, perhaps to protect themselves against the risks they were taking, and this has left these financial institutions exposed," Ravier said.
"Having the government rescue them with taxpayers' money would, in some way, mean taking resources from one part of the population to save the banks."
The problem is concentrated particularly in two forms of credit used by millions of families: personal loans and credit cards. Delinquency on personal loans rose from 3.3% in October 2024 to 15.9% in May. For credit cards, the rate increased from 1.6% to 13.1%.
Young people are the most exposed group. The analysis found that people under 35 account for 38.7% of all delinquent borrowers, meaning nearly 4 in 10 people behind on payments are in that age group.
Digital wallets also play a particularly significant role among younger borrowers. Of delinquent borrowers younger than 35, 72.6% owe money to those platforms.
Hernán Letcher, director of CEPA, told UPI the main factor behind rising household debt is the loss of purchasing power.
"Many families had to compensate for that loss by taking on debt," Letcher said.
The problem, according to Letcher, was compounded by sharp increases in expenses that households cannot avoid. Utility costs rose about 850% and transportation costs nearly 1,500%, while wages increased by an average of 300%.
"For many families, that adjustment meant cutting spending, but also taking on debt. First, they postponed payments and rolled over their debts until they reached a point where they could no longer keep paying them," he said.
Letcher also pointed to the high cost of borrowing. Although the government has managed to reduce some benchmark interest rates, he said the total cost a borrower ultimately faces can be much higher.
"The total financial cost of a loan can range from 180% to 1,500%. With annual inflation at 35%, that is extremely expensive," he said.
To illustrate the problem, Letcher said he simulated a short-term loan offered by a digital wallet and found an interest rate of nearly 900%.
"I have a very good payment record and even then, they offered me that rate. I didn't take the loan," he said.
Letcher identified a third factor: the ease with which people can obtain new loans.
"Apps constantly offer credit and often do not sufficiently assess the income of the person applying," he said. "That creates a very dangerous combination: people who need money and platforms that make it extremely easy for them to borrow."
Gala Díaz Langou, director of the International Panel on Social Progress, or IPSP, agreed that declining incomes are increasing the need for credit.
She told UPI that more people are turning to loans to cover everyday expenses instead of using them to purchase high-value goods.
"There is greater demand for credit because real income has fallen. Many people are using credit to cover their everyday consumption," Díaz Langou said.
The expansion of credit outside the traditional banking system has added to the problem.
"Nonbank lending, which carries greater risks, has expanded. That includes digital wallets and cards issued by nonbank financial companies," she said.
A third factor, she said, involves the government's response. In her view, the official position that the situation is exclusively a "problem between private parties" limits the possibility of implementing refinancing programs that could help families restructure their debts.
"The government's refusal to intervene prevents the creation of refinancing programs that could ease the situation," Díaz Langou said. "Without those tools, the problem could continue to grow."
Guido Zack, economics director at the consulting firm Fundar, also questioned the government's position.
"Millions of people made similar decisions. It is not possible to think that they all coordinated to make the same mistake at the same time. What existed were the wrong incentives," Zack told UPI.
He said the government also bears responsibility for creating those conditions because officials "created those incentives and now maintain that it is not their responsibility to do anything."
Zack said about 1 in 4 Argentines with a loan is behind on payments. He also estimated that one in every six pesos lent to households is not being repaid on schedule.
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Peru's Fujimori seeks 120-day authority to legislate by decree
The Council of Ministers, led by Fujimori, approved a bill containing 66 legislative proposals Thursday night for congressional consideration and debate.
The core of the government's request centers on the so-called "Shield Plan," a punitive security strategy designed to address the country's public safety crisis and the expansion of transnational organized crime.
The bill seeks to establish the legal framework needed to institutionalize and expand joint patrols by the Armed Forces and National Police in urban areas with the highest rates of violent crime.
The proposal also includes measures to address prison overcrowding and organized crime by giving the military administrative control of prisons as well as responsibility for border security.
The legislative package also proposes changes to the Penal Code to increase penalties for common crimes and redefine police powers during preliminary investigations conducted in coordination with the Public Prosecutor's Office.
On the economic front, Fujimori's proposal seeks to reshape labor market conditions to attract investment and boost economic activity.
The government contends that reducing nonwage labor costs for businesses is necessary to address an informal employment rate that affects almost 70% of the economically active population.
The government also proposes greater flexibility in traditional employee benefits through individual agreements or collective bargaining between workers and employers.
In Peru's new bicameral Congress, the government needs a simple majority in the Chamber of Deputies to secure the legislative package approval, requiring at least 66 votes from the chamber's 130 members.
Because the governing bloc does not have enough votes on its own, Fujimori's government must negotiate with moderate opposition lawmakers and secure at least 10 additional votes.
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