Trump said a US military strike, coordinated with Venezuelan authorities, killed Hector Guerrero Flores, one of America’s most wanted gang figures
US President Donald Trump on Friday announced that a targeted American military strike had killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, better known as “Nino Guerrero“, the alleged leader of the notorious Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua.
Describing the operation as a “swift and lethal kinetic strike“, Trump said the mission was carried out by the US Southern Command and coordinated closely with Venezuelan authorities. According to the US President, the operation successfully eliminated Guerrero, who had long been one of the most wanted figures linked to transnational organised crime.
Tren de Aragua has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States and has been accused of involvement in drug trafficking, extortion, human trafficking, kidnapping and organised violence across several countries in the Americas. US authorities had previously charged Guerrero with racketeering conspiracy and other serious offences, while the State Department had announced a reward of up to 5 million dollars for information leading to his arrest.
FROM @POTUS — At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth. Before I returned to… pic.twitter.com/2dXhF5IWoH
— DOW Rapid Response (@DOWResponse) June 13, 2026
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said members of the gang would no longer find safe haven in Venezuela or elsewhere. He vowed to continue pursuing criminal organisations that threaten US security and linked the operation to his administration’s broader crackdown on organised crime and illegal immigration.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed that the strike had taken place earlier in the week and said Guerrero was killed during the operation. The Pentagon provided no additional details about the mission.
Earlier this week, the @DeptofWar — in full collaboration with Venezuelan security forces — conducted a kinetic strike on a Tren de Aragua (TdA) compound in Venezuela. TdA founder & leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka “Niño Guerrero,” was confirmed killed during the…
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) June 13, 2026
Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago inside Venezuela’s Tocorón prison and gradually expanded into one of Latin America‘s most feared criminal networks. The gang has been blamed for a range of violent crimes across South America and has increasingly drawn attention from US law enforcement agencies.
The announcement marks another major move in Trump’s campaign against transnational criminal groups. His administration has repeatedly targeted Tren de Aragua leaders with sanctions and law-enforcement measures, arguing that the gang has contributed to violence and criminal activity across the region.
Venezuelan authorities had not immediately issued a detailed public response to the operation at the time of Trump’s announcement.
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