Jeffri Santiago Yarasca, a 34-year-old security guard, went missing in Peru before police seized his registered rifle during a raid on an illegal mining gang.
Relatives reported his disappearance on July 4, 2026, at the Santa Rosa police station in the Inambari district of Tambopata province, located in the southeastern region of Madre de Dios. Authorities have had no information regarding his whereabouts for 50 days.
Born on July 9, 1992, in the district and province of Ica, Jeffri Santiago was hired by security companies to work as a guard in illegal gold mining camps in Madre de Dios. Witnesses last reported seeing the 1.72-metre-tall guard, who has a characteristic skull tattoo on his left shoulder, in the town of Huepetuhe in Manu province, an area considered an epicentre of illegal mining and organised crime.
Seizure of firearms in Tambopata raid
Just two days after his family reported him missing, police seized his Franchi Horizon270 Winchester rifle during a major operation on July 6, 2026. The weapon was recovered alongside an arsenal taken from 21 members of the criminal organisation Los Guardianes de La Pampa.
Authorities presume that Edson Fernandez Perez, known by the alias Chilli and identified as the head of the criminal group, recruited Jeffri Santiago with lucrative financial offers. Investigators believe he was promised a monthly salary of 3,000 soles for security duties and an additional 3,500 soles for renting out his weapon.
The centre of operations for Los Guardianes de La Pampa is located in the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve, an area with a heavy presence of illegal gold miners. During the mega-operation, law enforcement officers confiscated 19 rifles, 10 nine-millimeter handguns, six Claymore-type anti-personnel mines, nine war grenades, bulletproof vests, and more than 30,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres.
Tactical capabilities and registered weapons
The recovered Franchi Horizon rifle, bearing serial number FB046231Z, was equipped with a telescopic sight and a bipod.
An officer from the Directorate of Environment of the Peruvian National Police who participated in the operation told La Republica that the firearm registered to Jeffri Santiago Yarasca was designed for observation, surveillance, or long-distance precision shooting. The officer explained that the sniper rifle considerably increased the tactical capability of the criminal group to neutralize threats.
Intelligence sources informed La Republica that Jeffri Santiago had registered four weapons in his name with the National Superintendencia of Control of Arms, Ammunition and Explosives of Civil Use, the agency known as Sucamec. His registered arsenal included two handguns, a Czech CZ pistol and an Austrian nine-millimeter Glock, as well as two carbines, an American Anderson AM15 and the Franchi Horizon.
Disappearances of military veterans
The case adds to a series of disappearances involving former military personnel in the region. Pablo Martinez Tocas, a retired Army sergeant, and Johan Cordero Yaros, a retired Air Force sergeant, also vanished after being hired for security work in Madre de Dios.
Both veterans were recruited in August 2025 by Kelner Wong Vela, alias Teddy, who is responsible for recruiting former armed forces personnel for Chilli's mafia. Neither sergeant has been traced since leaving their homes in Lima to provide security for mining companies.
When contacted by La Republica, relatives of Jeffri Santiago Yarasca preferred to remain silent.
Police authorities consider it very probable that Jeffri Santiago lost his life during an armed clash with rival gangs. Investigators noted that criminal organisations in the region bury their members in clandestine graves when they die in conflicts.
