A leader of a Peruvian gang wanted for 23 murders in Peru was arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday, according to the agency.
Gianfranco Torres-Navarro was arrested in Endicott, New Yorkduring a “targeted operation,” according to a source familiar with the operation.
Torres-Navarro is the alleged leader of “Los Killers,” a gang in Peru, according to local authorities.
“Gianfranco Torres-Navarro poses a significant threat to our communities, and we will not allow New York to be a haven for dangerous non-citizens,” said Thomas P. Brophy, director of enforcement and removal operations in the Buffalo Field Office. “Well done to our ERO Buffalo officers who brought this individual into custody.”
In this May 11, 2017, file photo, a law enforcement official walks past the ICE logo before a news conference at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, DC
Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE
Torres-Navarro, 38, entered the United States on May 16, near Roma, Texas, and a month ago authorities were notified that he was wanted in Peru for murder.
He is currently being held in Batavia, New York, in a federal detention center.
There was no attorney listed for Torres-Navarro at the time of publication.