Peruvian Gang Leader Nabbed in NY Is Wanted for 23 Murders Back Home

A Peruvian gang leader accused of multiple murders who “believed he was untouchable” was arrested in New York on Wednesday, after border patrol initially released him into the United States.
Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, 38, is the leader of the “Los Killers” gang and is wanted by authorities in his home country for the murders of 23 people, including rival gang leaders and a retired police officer.
While he had entered the U.S. at the southwest border in Texas on May 16, border patrol released him with a notice to appear in court later. Authorities reportedly only found out about his violent past in early July.
Immigration Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Buffalo arrested Torres-Navarro on Wednesday around 145 miles northwest of New York City.
“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,” Col. Franco Moreno, head of Peru’s High Complexity Crime Investigations Division, told the Associated Press.
The gang leader used violence to take out rivals who were cutting into “Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao” territory, namely extortion of construction companies.
Torres-Navarro then fled Peru after allegedly killing retired cop Cesar Quegua Herrera, as well as a municipal employee, at a restaurant in San Miguel in March.
Peruvian authorities issued an international warrant at the start of July and tracked phone calls, geolocations and messages from Torres-Navaro and at least 10 affiliated gang members in order to locate him.
“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,” Thomas Brophy, the director of enforcement removal operations for ICE’s Buffalo field office, told the AP.
Agents also arrested the gang leader’s girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortíz Ubillús. She is being held at a facility in Pennsylvania.
The AP reported that she has a prominent role within “Los Killers”, along with a sizeable social media following on TikTok, where she shows off the couple’s lavish lifestyle.
Torres-Navaro has reportedly evaded capture previously, having been sentenced to 10 years in abstentia in 2019 for illegal weapons possession.
He was missing for two years before being arrested at a checkpoint in Lima, Peru’s capital city. That case was acquitted, and he was freed in December.
Peruvian authorities said this was when the gang’s violence increased.
Torres-Navaro is now being held at a detention facility near Buffalo, NY, pending an immigration hearing.
ICE frequently arrests illegal immigrants suspected of crimes either within the U.S. or elsewhere and processes them for removal.
Since October 2023, the start of fiscal year 2024, agents have arrested over 17,000 people who either have a criminal conviction or pending charges.
Newsweek reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for further comment Friday morning.
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