Sergio Fontanella, an Argentine businessman, was killed on Monday in Iquitos, the capital of Peru’s Loreto region in the Amazon. The incident occurred near a local restaurant where Fontanella had been watching a Qatar 2022 playoff game between Peru and Australia. Security cameras in a nearby business captured the moments when two masked men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on him. The footage shows the gunmen targeting Fontanella and then fleeing the scene as the area erupts in chaos.
Onlookers quickly moved Fontanella onto a motorcycle taxi in an attempt to rush him to a medical facility, hoping for emergency care. Despite those efforts, he could not be saved. Local media later reported that the alleged perpetrators were apprehended shortly after the attack, though authorities have not released a full public briefing detailing their motives or identities.
Fontanella’s background includes a period in detention related to a money laundering investigation connected to figures tied to Peru’s historical political landscape. He had been involved in the operation of several river transport businesses in the Amazon region, with several boat companies operating in Iquitos and nearby towns. In 2018, reports indicated that Fontanella had been acquitted in a case concerning money transfers linked to a broader network that had used multiple shipping companies to move funds in and out of the jungle cities since the late 1990s. His presence in the Amazon business scene was noted by local observers as emblematic of the mix between commerce and maritime transport that characterizes the area. The recent tragedy has raised questions about security for businessmen operating in remote regions and the risks associated with forthright ventures in the territorial Amazon. These concerns echo a longer history of economic activity in Iquitos and related river towns, where business people often navigate complex regulatory and security environments while pursuing growth in a challenging geographic setting.