Peruvian Court Orders 14 Months' Pretrial Detention for Alleged Russia Recruiter Pocho Pinto

A Peruvian court has ordered 14 months of pretrial detention for Pocho Pinto, 54, who is investigated for aggravated human trafficking for labour exploitation over the alleged recruitment of four Peruvians to a Russian military base, one of whom died in combat, The Rio Times reported, citing a press note from Peru's public prosecution service, the Ministerio Público, published October 10, 2026. Prosecutors had asked for 18 months. Pinto has not been tried or convicted and has publicly denied deceiving anyone. Pretrial detention is a precautionary measure, not a verdict.

Peruvian media identify him as Pocho Wilson Pinto Peña, a retired member of the armed forces, according to The Rio Times. He was detained on October 1 in an operation led by provincial prosecutor Luisa Inés Quispe Asmat of the Lima North human trafficking prosecutor's office, with the national police's anti-trafficking directorate. Officers searched two homes in Comas, a district of northern Lima, and seized phones, USB drives, a firearm, credit cards, and cash. The prosecution credited the US-registered nonprofit Aerial Recovery with supporting the case. A judge first allowed seven days of preliminary detention; the 14-month order replaces it, with the court finding what the prosecution described as "serious and well-founded" grounds against him.

See also: Peruvian widow says 150 Peruvian bodies are decomposing in a Russian morgue

Four Peruvians, a Promised Guard Job

According to the prosecution's note, in March 2026 Pinto recruited, coordinated, financed, and arranged international travel for Julio Salazar and three other Peruvians. The men were promised security work at a military base in Russia for about $2,300 a month, a $20,000 bonus after one year, and the possibility of Russian citizenship. Prosecutors say Pinto told them explicitly they would not go to a war zone or the front line, and that the planned route ran from Lima through Paris, Istanbul, and Moscow to Ufa, in Russia's southern Urals.

Once in Russia, prosecutors say, Salazar was taken to military facilities, trained, and made to sign a contract in Russian that he did not understand. He was then sent to the front line and died in April. The other three men are listed as victims in the case; their whereabouts have not been made public.

What Pinto Says

In an April interview with Panamericana TV, before his arrest, Pinto said the men "knew the conditions" and that he had only passed on a contact number, adding that most were retired soldiers with earlier experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, The Rio Times reported. Percy Salinas, a lawyer for affected families, told RPP radio the same month that a network of Colombian, Mexican, and Peruvian recruiters had targeted former soldiers and police officers. Pinto's defence has not publicly responded to the ruling, and any appeal has not been reported.

The case comes as Peru's Foreign Ministry counted 459 Peruvians who had joined Russia's armed forces by August: 11 killed, 114 missing, three held by Ukraine, and 31 brought home.

A Safe Way Out

Peruvians and other foreign nationals lured into Russia's armed forces have an option to safely escape the battlefield with Ukraine's "I Want to Live" project - a reliable path out of deception. You can also find a detailed instruction on how to safely quit the battlefield here.