Peru gang leader wanted in 23 homicides arrested in New York

(The Center Square) – A Peruvian gang leader and contract killer wanted in at least 23 murders in his home country but who was released into the U.S. after entering the country illegally has been arrested in New York.

Gianfranco Torres-Navarro, the leader of transnational criminal organization “Los Killers de Ventanilla y Callao,” and his “lieutenant” and girlfriend, Mishelle Sol Ivanna Ortiz Ubillus, who goes by “Vanna Ortiz” on TikTok, were arrested on Wednesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The two illegally entered the U.S. on May 16 after fleeing Peru. Instead of being processed for removal, they were released into the country by Border Patrol agents in Texas, given a “Notice to Appear” before an immigration judge with a date years into the future.

Gianfranco, known as Chato, allegedly leads a transnational criminal organization “dedicated to contract killing and extortion” of construction company owners and is wanted for the murder of 23 Peruvians, warranting his other nickname, “Gianfranco 23.”

Vanna Ortiz, who is famous for her large social media following, is reportedly in charge of collecting extortion money, participated in the planning of crimes committed against rival gangs and “has complaints for intentional injury, sexual harassment and psychological violence,” according to the Spanish language Peruvian news outlet, Redacción Trome.

Less than two months after they illegally entered the country, ICE received information from Peruvian authorities in early July that they were wanted fugitives. It took another month for ICE agents to find and arrest them in Endicott, New York, roughly 2,000 miles from the Texas-Mexico border and 145 miles from New York City.

When announcing the details of their arrest, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Buffalo field office director Thomas Brophy said, “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.”

In 2021, Gianfranco went to prison for illegal possession of weapons, but was released in December 2023, Trope reported. An organized crime unit and Peru’s Prosecution Office described how he allegedly ordered hits from prison, and identified over 20 victims, including their accomplices, a retired police officer, and a 15-year-old girl, according to local news reports.

It was after a retired police officer was killed at a restaurant in San Miguel that Gianfranco and Ortiz fled Peru in March, multiple local news outlets reported. After a series of law enforcement raids in June, six members of Los Killers were arrested, the National Police of Peru reported.