West Texas ICE special agents arrest former Peruvian army sergeant wanted for his alleged role in 'Santa Barbara Massacre'
SAN ANGELO, Texas – Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Angelo arrested a Peruvian national Monday wanted in Peru in connection with the 1991 “Santa Barbara Massacre.”
On Sept. 17, HSI San Angelo special agents arrested former Peruvian Army Second Sergeant Dennis Wilfredo Pacheco-Zambrano, 48, in San Angelo. Pacheco is wanted in Peru for his alleged role in the July 4, 1991, torture, rape and extrajudicial killing of 15 Peruvian civilians in the rural village of Santa Barbara, Peru.
HSI San Angelo first learned that Pacheco might be residing in the area after receiving a tip from the ICE Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC). HSI San Angelo special agents launched an investigation into the whereabouts of Pacheco and tracked him down residing in San Angelo, Texas.
Following Pacheco’s arrest, Special Agent in Charge Katrina Berger, HSI Dallas, praised the special agents who successfully apprehended the alleged war criminal and made clear that Texas is the wrong place for human rights violators to seek refuge.
“Human rights violators will find no safe haven in the United States,” said Berger. “HSI special agents are uniquely trained to track down human rights violators and war criminals to ensure they face justice.”
Since 2003, the HRVWCC has issued more than 75,000 subject records for individuals from more than 110 countries and stopped more than 260 suspected human rights violators and war criminals from entering the U.S. It has supported ICE’s removal of 908 known or suspected human rights violators from the U.S. and has facilitated the departure of an additional 122 such individuals. The HRVWCC’s support of the field has led to the arrest of more than 410 individuals for human rights-related violations of the law under various criminal and immigration statutes. It is currently supporting more than 135 criminal investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,750 leads and removal cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries.
HSI encourages the public to report foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
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