US Strike Kills Notorious Tren de Aragua Leader ‘Niño Guerrero’ — Trump Announces

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that American forces carried out a targeted military strike that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, widely known as “Niño Guerrero,” the leader of Venezuela’s powerful transnational criminal gang, Tren de Aragua.

According to Trump, the operation—executed by U.S. Southern Command—was a “swift and lethal” strike conducted earlier in the week in Venezuela’s Bolívar state. 

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most ​bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth,” Trump said in a post on Truth ​Social on Friday evening.

U.S. officials said the mission was carried out in close coordination with Venezuelan authorities, who also confirmed Guerrero’s death following clashes with criminal groups during the joint operation.

Guerrero, a fugitive since escaping from Venezuela’s Tocorón prison in 2023, had been one of the most wanted figures in the Americas. 

He faced U.S. sanctions and criminal charges linked to drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, and organized violence. Washington had previously placed a multi-million-dollar reward on his capture.