Peruvian citizen, founder of violent gang, deported from US after entering illegally through California

A Peruvian man who founded a criminal gang known for abductions, killings and robberies was deported from the United States on Wednesday, immigration authorities said. 

Giovani Danti Gamarra-Puertas, 63, was escorted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on a flight to Lima, Peru. He was then handed over to Peruvian authorities at Jorge Chavez International Airport to face charges of crimes against public peace.

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“ERO San Diego deportation officers are committed to preventing dangerous individuals like Gamarra-Puertas from entering our communities through illegitimate claims to avoid prosecution from their home countries,” said Jamison Matuszewski, field office director of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Diego. 

Gamarra-Puertas was initially arrested in June by Border Patrol agents after illegally entering the U.S. near Calexico, California. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement took custody of him at some point, ICE said. Authorities said Gamarra-Puertas was trying to evade prosecution by fleeing to the U.S. 

An image released by ICE shows Peruvian authorities walking with Gamarra-Puertas on an airport tarmac. 

A records check by U.S. authorities revealed he is the founder of the Los Destructores, a criminal gang. He was also affiliated with other Peruvian criminal organizations, including Los Injertos and Malditos de San Juan de Lurigancho.