Dangerous Peruvian Gang Leader Arrested In Upstate New York

Law enforcement officials all over New York have been busy lately. Even though crime all over the nation has been dropping year to year, the work of law enforcement is never done. That hard work was shown recently as officers from the Buffalo office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection made a major arrest in Upstate New York.

According to a press release that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued, a reputed gang leader from Peru who has been tied to dozens of murders in the Central American country was arrested in Endicott, New York, on August 14, 2024, after a lengthy investigation.

38-year-old Gianfranco Torres-Navarro illegally crossed into the United States on May 16, 2024, near the town of Roma, Texas, and was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers. After he was arrested, Torres-Navarro was issued an appearance ticket to appear in immigration court, but he never showed up for court.

According to the Associated Press, Torres-Navarro is the leader of the Peruvian gang Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao and has been on the run from law enforcement in Peru since 2019.

The Enforcement and Removal Operations division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement then searched for Torres-Navarro when he did not show up for court, and they eventually found him in New York State. Torres-Navarro, 38, is currently being held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility in Batavia, New York, where he's waiting for a hearing with an immigration judge.

Since Torres-Navarro is a non-citizen who entered the country illegally, he's subject to removal from the country.