U.S. arrests reputed Peruvian gang leader wanted for 23 killings in his home country

NEW YORK — A reputed Peruvian gang leader suspected in 23 killings in his home country was arrested Wednesday in New York by U.S. immigration authorities.

Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of “Los Killers” who is wanted for the killings in Peru, was arrested in Endicott, New York, about 145 miles (233 kilometers) northwest of New York City, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Thursday. He is being held at a federal detention facility near Buffalo pending an immigration hearing.

Torres-Navarro, 38, entered the U.S. illegally at the Texas-Mexico border on May 16. He was arrested the same day and given a notice to appear for immigration proceedings, according to the agency, known as ICE. U.S. authorities moved to arrest Torres-Navarro after receiving information on July 8 that he was wanted 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.

Immigration agents also arrested Torres-Navarro’s girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortíz Ubillús, described by Peruvian authorities as his right hand. She is being held at a processing center in Pennsylvania, according to ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System.

Online immigration detention records for Torres-Navarro and Ortíz Ubillús did not include information on lawyers who could comment on their behalf.

Peru’s justice system confirmed to The Associated Press that it ordered the location and international capture of Torres-Navarro and his partner Ortiz-Ubilluz on July 3.

Col. Franco Moreno, head of Peru’s High Complexity Crime Investigations Division, told the AP Thursday that they tracked phone calls, geolocations and messages from Torres-Navarro and his gang of at least 10 members.

“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.

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.

Torres-Navarro eluded previous attempts to hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.

In 2019, while on the run from authorities, he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for illegal weapons possession. He remained at large until 2021, when he was arrested at a toll checkpoint near Peru’s capital city, Lima. But even then, he didn’t stay behind bars for long. After an acquittal in that case, Torres-Navarro was freed last December.

Soon after, Peruvian authorities said, “Los Killers” ramped up its violence, culminating in the shooting in San Miguel.

Gianfranco’s girlfriend, Ortiz Ubillús, has a prominent role in “Los Killers,” Peruvian authorities said. The Public Prosecutor’s Office described her as Torres Navarro’s romantic partner, lieutenant and cashier.

She also has a sizable following on the social media platform TikTok where she showed off their lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes, resort vacations and shooting targets at a gun range.

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Briceno reported from Lima, Peru. Associated Press reporters Carolyn Thompson and Phil Marcelo contributed to this report.