A South American crime boss is wanted for the murders of at least 23 people in Peru was captured this week in New York, three months after U.S. immigration authorities arrested and then released him after he entered the country illegally via the Texas-Mexico border.
The arrests Wednesday of Gianfranco Torres-Navarro and his girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortíz Ubillús, put an end to an international search for them. Peru in the wake of violence attributed to Torres-Navarro and his gang, “Los Killers.” Their arrest also raised questions about why the notorious gang leader was allowed to remain in the U.S. after his first run-in with immigration authorities in May.
Torres-Navarro, 38, is the leader of “Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao.” Peruvian authorities say the gang, founded in 2022, has used violence to thwart rivals and advance its core business of extorting construction companies in an area along the Pacific coast that is home to Peru’s main port.
Torres-Navarro was previously a member of the criminal organization Los Malditos de Angamos, according to Peru’s Attorney General’s Office. He is also known as “Gianfranco 23,” a reference to the number of people he is said to have killed. He reportedly has the names of victims tattooed on his body.
Peru’s Public Prosecutor’s Office has described Ortiz Ubillús as Torres Navarro’s romantic partner, lieutenant and cashier. She has a large following on TikTok, where she has showcased their lavish lifestyle, including designer clothes and resort vacations.
The online immigration detention files of Torres-Navarro and Ortíz Ubillús did not include information about attorneys who could comment on their behalf.
Col. Franco Moreno, head of Peru’s Department of Investigation for High Complexity Crimes, told The Associated Press that Torres-Navarro’s victims included rival gang leaders and their families.
Torres-Navarro “is an extremely dangerous criminal who believed he was untouchable and responsible for 23 murders.” All of this was done “to increase his criminal leadership,” the investigator said.
Torres-Navarro and Ortíz Ubillús are believed to have fled Peru after he and the gang “Los Killers” were suspected of killing retired police officer Cesar Quegua Herrera and wounding a municipal worker in a San Miguel restaurant in March.
Torres-Navarro entered the U.S. illegally on May 16 near Roma, Texas, about 210 miles (339 kilometers) south of San Antonio, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Customs and Border Protection arrested him the same day and released him with a summons to report for immigration proceedings, ICE said.
Peruvian authorities say they did not order the search and international arrest of Torres-Navarro and Ortíz Ubillús until July 3. U.S. authorities say they received information on July 8 that Torres-Navarro was wanted in Peru and subsequently arrested him.
ICE arrested them in Endicott, New York, about 145 miles (233 kilometers) northwest of New York City, the agency said.
The U.S. Border Patrol releases tens of thousands of migrants who entered the country illegally each month and issues them a summons to appear in immigration court to seek asylum or other forms of humanitarian protection.
The number of releases in the US has fallen dramatically, in line with the lower number of border crossings, as Mexican authorities enhanced enforcement within their borders and the US introduced asylum restrictions in June.
There were 27,768 releases in the U.S. in July, down from 191,782 in December. In May, when Torres-Navarro entered the country, 62,164 people were released with a summons to appear in court.
The Border Patrol can refer migrants to ICE for detention while their cases proceed through immigration court, but the agency receives funding to hold only 34,000 people. Space is reserved for those deemed the highest security risks.
Migrants who are released are photographed and fingerprinted and must provide an address in the U.S. where they will live.
Torres-Navarro has been on the radar of Peruvian authorities for years, but he has largely managed to evade efforts to hold him accountable for his alleged crimes.
In 2019, while on the run from authorities, he was sentenced 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, Lima. Torres-Navarro was released last December after an acquittal in that case.
Peruvian authorities reported that “Los Killers” quickly escalated their violence, culminating in the murder of the retired police officer in San Miguel.
In June, six alleged members of “Los Killers” were arrested in a series of raids and charged with murder, contract killing and extortion, Peru’s national police said.
Moreno said Peruvian authorities have monitored phone calls, geolocations and messages from Torres-Navarro and his gang of at least 10 members as part of their investigation.
Torres-Navarro is being held at a federal detention facility about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester, New York, pending an immigration hearing, ICE said.
According to ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System, Ortíz Ubillús is being held at a processing center in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania.
They will likely be deported to Peru unless they are charged in the US.
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Spagat reported from San Diego. Briceno reported from Lima, Peru. Associated Press reporters Carolyn Thompson and Phil Marcelo also contributed to this report.