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.”
