Ex-Elite Gendarmerie Officer Arrested, Accused of Being Chinese Mafia Hitman

A former member of Argentina's elite Gendarmerie unit, the Albatros squadron, has been arrested and accused of acting as a hitman for the Chinese mafia. Luis Ayala, 58, was taken into custody by provincial police in Buenos Aires.

Ayala is suspected of murdering Chen Jian, a 36-year-old Chinese supermarket owner, outside his store in Carapachay, Vicente López, on Friday night. Security footage reportedly shows the victim being shot while sitting in his truck. The incident occurred at 8:36 p.m.

Investigators believe Ayala and his accomplice, identified as Adriana Cecilia A., conducted surveillance on the victim before the attack. They had reportedly made a purchase at the supermarket about an hour and 20 minutes prior to the shooting, which police suggest was a method to study the victim's movements. The pair allegedly arrived at the scene in a dark Peugeot 208.

Sources indicate Ayala may have been hired for $5,000 to carry out the assassination. During the arrest in Merlo, police confiscated a bulletproof vest bearing the initials GNA (Gendarmería Nacional Argentina), two 9mm pistols, a .22 caliber pistol, ammunition, and a cell phone. The investigation is ongoing, with prosecutors examining security footage and digital payment records to reconstruct the crime.