Patricio Arce: footballer accused of being leader of a criminal gang, claims to be innocent

The footballer Patricio Salvatore 'Pato' Arce Cambana was singled out as the leader of a criminal gang dedicated to collecting quotas for construction and sanitation works in the First Port, in addition to the micromechanization of drugs in the Callao. For this reason, he will be detained for 7 days at the headquarters of the Depincri in Bellavista, after his capture on Friday 18 March.

According to the América Noticias news program, the investigation by the Bellavista Criminal Investigation Department points out the former football player of the César Vallejo University club for having taken over the reins of the criminal organization 'Los Baturris de la Perla Baja' and being involved in a murder case.

HOMICIDE CASE IN 2021

This case is that of the murder of Piero Javier Robles Gerbaci, a combi collector, in August 2021 in Callao. He was killed by seven shots. The Police (PNP) followed two of the members of 'The Baturris of the Low Pearl', also linked to the worker's death.

“The collector leaves the vehicle to bring the passenger in and at that time seven shots are fired in different parts of the body, which caused him to die. The mastermind would correspond to Patricio Salvatore Arce Cambana,” said Colonel PNP Carranza, head of the Depincri de Bellavista, on the news.

The other two detainees were 28-year-old Omar Armando Agurto Márquez, accused of being the one who shot the combi collector; and 26-year-old Lender Lyr Torres Castro, who would ride the motorcycle on which they fled.

It is argued that 'Paco' Arce would also have been involved, as he was the head of the criminal organization.

ATTACK ON POLICE

The PNP also recently reported that Patricio Arce is involved in the attack on a policeman, which occurred on March 24, 2021. According to the investigations carried out, Arce Cambana was the mastermind of the attempted murder against the police officer of the Callao Emergency Unit, 22-year-old Piero Javier Robles Gervasi. The officer was on patrol in the First Port.

The policeman was shot and in this case, Jeferson Josué Ramirez Ríos, 34, and Anthony Ramirez Condemarin, 25, were arrested. Both were recognized by the injured officer and are currently serving pre-trial detention.

BEGINNINGS IN CRIME

Police argue that Arce Cambana would have first dabbled in crime in 2011, when he was known as 'Nicola'. Thus, he was involved in the murder of a man in a nightclub. This could have been his first felony, consisting of a crude homicide.

On the other hand, he has also seen his life in danger because he belongs to 'The Baturris of the Low Pearl'. In February 2021, he was the target of an ambush, while playing a pichanga in Callao. He was shot twice, one in the leg and one in the chest. But who got the brunt of it was a 16-year-old boy who played there, he was from the Cantolao Academy, and he died in the same scene.

Months later, he was again the target of another attack; but in this case he was unharmed.

SEPARATE FROM THE CLUB

As soon as the capture of the football player became known, the sports club César Vallejo made the decision to withdraw him from his first team for the duration of the investigations. They shared a statement on social media on March 20, where the Trujillo club made the news official.

“Due to the events that took place on Friday, March 18, 2022, with the preliminary arrest of the player Patricio Arce Cabana, carried out by the Peruvian National Police, we have decided to separate the player from the first team for the duration of the corresponding investigations,” he reads.