A Peruvian gang leader who is suspected in 23 killings was arrested on Wednesday in New York.
Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, 38, the leader of “Los Killers,” is wanted for the murders in his home country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) revealed this week that he was arrested in Endicott, New York. He will be held at a federal detention facility in Buffalo pending a hearing.
Reportedly, Torres-Navarro crossed the border illegally from Mexico into Texas on May 16.
Initially, Torres-Navarro was arrested and given a notice to appear for immigration proceedings. However, ICE moved to arrest him when the agency learned that he was wanted for the murders in Peru.
“Gianfranco Torres-Navarro poses a significant threat to our communities, and we won’t allow New York to be a safe haven for dangerous noncitizens,” said Thomas Brophy, the director of enforcement removal operations for ICE’s Buffalo field office.
Reputed Peruvian gang leader arrested in NY as suspect wanted for 23 killings in his home country https://t.co/3oXAIEEkxU pic.twitter.com/q4vhHWGctJ
— New York Post (@nypost) August 16, 2024
Reportedly, Torres-Navarro’s girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortiz Ubillus, is his “right hand.” She is being held at a processing center in Pennsylvania.
Peru’s justice system confirmed to the Associated Press that it ordered the location and international capture of both individuals on July 3.
Col. Franco Moreno, head of Peru’s High Complexity Crime Investigations Division, told the outlet this week that they tracked phone calls, geolocations and messages from Torres-Navarro and his gang of at least 10 members (via AP):
According to Peruvian authorities, Torres-Navarro is the leader of a criminal organization known as “Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao” that has used violence to thwart rivals seeking to cut into its core business of extorting construction companies.
Torres-Navarro allegedly fled Peru after the killing of retired police officer Cesar Quegua Herrera and the shooting of a municipal employee at a restaurant in San Miguel in March, Peruvian media reported.
Six reputed members of “Los Killers,” formed in 2022 in an area along the Pacific coast where Peru’s main port is located, were arrested in a series of raids in June and accused of homicide, contract killing, and extortion, the National Police of Peru said.
Torres-Navarro was previously a member of the Los Malditos de Angamos criminal organization, Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office said. He is also known as “Gianfranco 23,” a reference to the number of people he is alleged to have killed.
“He is a highly dangerous criminal who believed he was untouchable and responsible for 23 murders, including other gang leaders who ended up dead along with their families, all in order to increase his criminal leadership,” Moreno said.
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