ICE agents arrest Peruvian 'Los Killers' gang leader who is wanted in his home country for killing 23 people

ENDICOTT, NY - On Wednesday, April 14th, U.S. Immigration authorities arrested a dangerous Peruvian gang leader who is wanted for allegedly killing 23 people in his home country.

According to the Associated Press (AP), the suspect, identified as 38-year-old Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, is the leader of the "Los Killers" gang and is suspected of killing almost three dozen people in Peru. In a statement on Thursday, August 15th, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that Torres-Navarro is being held at a federal detention facility near Buffalo pending an immigration hearing.

Peruvian authorities said that Torres-Navarro is the leader of a criminal organization known as "Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao," a gang that has used violence to thwart rivals seeking to cut into its core business of extorting construction companies. According to Peru's Public Prosecutor's Office, Torres-Narvarro was previously a member of the Los Malditos de Angamos criminal organization and that he is also known as "Giafranco 23," a reference to the number of people he is alleged to have killed.

Torres-Navarro entered the United States illegally at the Texas-Mexico border on May 16th. ICE said that he was arrested the same day and given a notice to appear for immigration proceedings. On July 8th, U.S. authorities received information stating that Torres-Navarro was wanted for alleged crimes committed in Peru, at which time they moved to arrest the illegal immigrant.

Thomas Brophy, the director of enforcement removal operations for ICE's Buffalo field office said in a statement, "Gianfranco Torres-Navarro poses a significant threat to our communities, and we won't all New York to be a safe haven for dangerous noncitizens."

ICE agents also arrested the girlfriend of Torres-Navarro, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortiz Ubillús. She's been described by Peruvian authorities as Torres-Navarro's "right hand." According to ICE's Online Detainee Locator System, she is currently being held at a processing center in Pennsylvania. Peru's justice system confirmed to the AP that it ordered the location and international capture of Torres-Navarro and Ortiz-Ubillús on July 3rd.

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

The National Police of Peru said that six reputed members of "Los Killers" were arrested in a series of raids in June and have been accused of homicide, contract killing, and extortion. In March, the Peruvian media reported that Torres-Navarro allegedly fled the country after the killing of retired police officer Cesar Quegua Herrera and the shooting of a municipal employee at a restaurant in San Miguel. 

Peruvian authorities said that Giafranco's girlfriend, Ubilliús, has a prominent role in "Los Killers" and is described as Torres-Navarro's romantic partner, lieutenant, and cashier. She also reportedly has a sizable following on TIkTok where she shows off their lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes, resort vacations, and shooting targets at a gun range.