NEW YORK (AP) — A suspected Peruvian gang leader suspected of committing nearly two dozen murders in his home country was arrested by U.S. immigration authorities in New York on Wednesday.
Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of Los Killers wanted for 23 murders 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 prison near Buffalo pending an immigration hearing, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
Torres-Navarro, 38, entered the United States illegally across the Texas-Mexico border on May 16. He was arrested the same day and summoned for immigration proceedings, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.
The agency, known as ICE, said it initiated the arrest of 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 will not allow New York to become a safe haven for dangerous non-citizens,” said Thomas Brophy, chief of the deportation division at ICE’s Buffalo field office.
Immigration authorities also arrested Torres-Navarro’s girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortíz Ubillús, described by Peruvian authorities as his right-hand woman. She is being held at a detention center in Pennsylvania, according to ICE’s online Detainee Locator system.
The Peruvian justice system confirmed to the Associated Press that it ordered the location and international arrest of Torres-Navarro and his partner Ortiz-Ubilluz on July 3.
According to Peruvian authorities, Torres-Navarro is the leader of a criminal organization called “Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao,” which uses violence against competitors seeking to undermine its core business of extorting construction companies.
According to Peruvian media, Torres-Navarro allegedly fled Peru after retired police officer Cesar Quegua Herrera was killed in a restaurant in San Miguel in March.
Six suspected members of the Los Killers gang, which 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 murder, contract killing and extortion, Peru’s National Police said.
Torres-Navarro was previously a member of the criminal organization Los Malditos de Angamos, Peruvian prosecutors said. He is also known as “Gianfranco 23,” a reference to the number of people he allegedly killed.
His girlfriend, Ortiz Ubillús, plays a key role in “Los Killers,” Peruvian authorities said. Prosecutors described her as Torres Navarro’s partner, lieutenant and cashier.
She also has a large following on the social media platform TikTok, where she flaunts her lavish lifestyle, which includes designer clothes, vacations at resorts, and target shooting at a shooting range.
