The leader of the transnational criminal gang Tren de Aragua, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, popularly known as “Nino Guerrero,” has been killed in a joint operation involving the United States and Venezuela, authorities confirmed on Friday.
Founded in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua has expanded its operations across Latin America, with a presence in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. The group has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States.
In a statement, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications said Guerrero was “neutralized” during clashes between security forces and members of criminal networks in the southeastern state of Bolivar.
“During the operation, there were confrontations with members of these criminal structures, in which Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias ‘Nino Guerrero,’ was neutralized,” the ministry said.
The Venezuelan government said the operation was carried out with “specialized technological support” and intelligence-sharing between Caracas and Washington.
Earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that American forces had conducted a deadly strike targeting the gang leader.
“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Nino Guerrero,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The president added that the operation had been conducted in close coordination with Venezuelan authorities.
“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well,” Trump wrote, adding that Tren de Aragua members “no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.”
Trump’s post included a brief aerial video showing a building surrounded by vegetation before an explosion engulfed the structure in smoke and flames.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also confirmed the operation, saying the strike targeted a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela and resulted in Guerrero’s death.
Gang expanded across continents
Federal prosecutors in New York filed racketeering, firearms, and narcotics charges against Guerrero in December, accusing him of transforming Tren de Aragua from a prison gang into a sprawling transnational criminal organization.
“Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said when the indictment was announced.
According to US authorities, the organization was involved in violent crimes, extortion, drug trafficking, human smuggling, and money laundering operations across the Americas and beyond.
The US State Department had previously offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Guerrero’s arrest or conviction.
Security analysts say Guerrero played a pivotal role in the gang’s rise while imprisoned at Tocoron, a notorious Venezuelan prison that effectively operated under the control of criminal leaders known as “pranes.”
According to the think tank InSight Crime, the prison became infamous under Guerrero’s leadership, with reports that criminal revenues funded amenities including a zoo, swimming pool, nightclub, restaurant, and playground inside the facility.
Guerrero escaped from Tocoron in 2023 and remained one of Latin America’s most wanted fugitives until his death.
Growing cooperation between Washington and Caracas
The operation marks the latest sign of improving relations between Washington and Caracas following the removal of Nicolas Maduro from power earlier this year.
The two countries restored diplomatic relations in March after years of strained ties, and the United States has begun the process of reopening its embassy in Caracas.
The joint mission against Tren de Aragua underscores an emerging security partnership between the two governments as they seek to combat organized crime and transnational trafficking networks operating across the region.
AFP
