The Peruvian government has officialized a structural reform of the National Police of Peru, reassigning 23 high-ranking officers, including criminal investigation chief General Victor Revoredo Farfan.
The Ministry of the Interior approved the reassignments through Supreme Resolution 234-2026-IN, which was published in the official gazette El Peruano on Sunday, September 20, 2026. The measure affects 20 generals and three lieutenant generals under the legal classification of necessity of service, with cost and without cost to the State.
Under the terms of the decree, General Victor Revoredo Farfan has been removed as head of the Criminal Investigation Directorate, known as Dirincri, and transferred to the Directorate of International Affairs. The international unit handles international police cooperation among other duties. Sources from the General Command confirmed that the movement is a reassignment rather than a retirement from active duty.
General Ricardo Espinoza Cuestas, who previously served as head of the La Libertad Police Region, has been appointed to take over leadership of Dirincri. Revoredo had been designated as chief of Dirincri on December 29 of last year during the government of Jose Maria Balcazar, formally assuming the role on January 1 after serving as head of the PNP Kidnapping and Extortion Investigation Division.
Revoredo previously gained attention for leading investigations that resulted in the capture of key figures from criminal organizations including Tren de Aragua and Los Pulpos. However, he faced increasing scrutiny in recent weeks following a surge in extortions and homicides across the country.
He was also criticized for an apparent operational error on August 30 in Trujillo during a police operation targeting suspects in the kidnapping of Jenss Lara Tantaquilla. That operation ended in the deaths of four people.
His removal comes shortly after the murder of Susy Aponte Polo, a former candidate for the Regional Government of Ancash who was known as China Polo. Prior to her death, Aponte Polo had reported an alleged attempt on her life and publicly blamed Revoredo.
Following the killing, police arrested alleged gunman Luis Ivan Obispo Diaz, a Venezuelan national. Obispo stated that the assassination was directed from Lima by Ronald Toro, and police confirmed that the gunman used an officer's weapon to kill Aponte Polo.
Reassignments across police directorates
The resolution outlines extensive organizational and administrative changes across multiple divisions of the Peruvian police force to adapt operations to current challenges. General Franco Moreno Panta was transferred from the Operational Advisory Directorate of the General Staff to the Investigations Directorate of the Police Inspectorate General.
General Manuel Gustavo Vidarte Perrigo was moved from the Tourism Directorate to the Administration Directorate. General Javier Edward Infante Revilla left the State Security Directorate to assume leadership of the Special Operations Directorate, while General Julio Cesar Becerra Camara left the Investigation Directorate to take charge of the Criminalistics Investigation Directorate.
In the higher command ranks, Lieutenant General Luis Flores Solis left his position as head of the Police Operations Command to lead the Inspectorate General Directorate. General Manuel Elias Lozada Morales was removed as national director of criminal investigation to take over the Police Operations Command.
General Victor Hugo Meza Farfan was transferred from the National Special Operations Directorate to become chief of the Central Lima Police Region. General Olger Benavides Ponce de Leon moved from the Inspectorate General to lead the Callao Police Region, while General Marco Antonio Conde Cuellar left the Callao command to join the Inspectorate General.
General Leiby Antonio Huaman Daza was reassigned from the Administration Directorate of the National Criminalistics Investigation Directorate to the Money Laundering Investigation Directorate. General Antonio Marcelino Loreno Beltran moved from the Human Development Directorate to the State Security Directorate.
Command changes and institutional evaluation
The wide-ranging reassignments follow recent changes at the highest level of police leadership. On September 15, the executive branch accepted the resignation of Lieutenant General Oscar Arriola Delgado, who entered retirement and concluded his appointment as general commander of the police force.
Lieutenant General Fredy Lopez Mendoza was appointed as the new general commander of the National Police of Peru on the same day. Following his appointment, Lopez announced that he would evaluate the performance and productivity of directors leading various police departments.
The Ministry of the Interior noted that the reassignments of the 20 generals and three lieutenant generals were carried out in accordance with functional specialties, the organizational chart, and personnel rosters, aiming to meet service needs and ensure the effective fulfillment of the institutional mission.
Preventive removal of Inspector General
In a separate action, Lieutenant General Augusto Rios Tiravanti was temporarily removed from his post as acting chief of the General Staff of the National Police of Peru. Rios Tiravanti was considered one of the highest-ranking officers within the police institution.
The temporary removal was established through Memorandum 628-2026-CG PNP/SEC on September 18, signed by General Commander Fredy Lopez Mendoza. The decision was made after the Internal Affairs Office reported on September 18 that administrative disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against Rios Tiravanti.
Police leadership applied Article 74 of Law 30714, which allows for the preventive removal of an officer when remaining in office could affect the normal development of a disciplinary investigation. The official document did not specify the conduct or concrete event that triggered the disciplinary proceedings.
Authorities stated that the measure should not be attributed to previous allegations against Rios Tiravanti in the absence of official confirmation linking them to the probe. He has been assigned to serve on the Police Advisory Commission while the corresponding resolution is finalized, and officials emphasized that the preventive measure is not a final sanction and does not suspend his pay.
