US and Venezuela confirm death of Tren de Aragua leader in Bolivar strike
Washington and Caracas acknowledge the elimination of the gang’s leader, who faced federal charges in New York and was designated as a terrorist by the United States.
US President Donald Trump and the Venezuelan government have jointly confirmed the death of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Tren de Aragua transnational criminal gang, following a US military strike in Venezuela’s Bolivar state. The operation, described by Trump as a “swift and lethal kinetic” action, resulted in the neutralisation of Guerrero Flores, also known as ‘Nino Guerrero’, during clashes at a gang compound.
Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications corroborated the event, stating that the strike was a joint operation that led to the elimination of the gang leader. The ministry noted that there were active clashes with members of the criminal structures at the site, confirming that Guerrero Flores was killed during the engagement.
The strike follows racketeering, drug, and firearms charges filed against Guerrero Flores in New York federal court in December. The US State Department had previously offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on social media that the strike was carried out earlier in the week at one of the gang’s compounds in Venezuela.
Trump characterised the operation on his Truth Social platform as a decisive blow against the group, which Washington has designated as a terrorist organisation. He stated that “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else” and vowed to continue targeting the group under his administration’s leadership.
Tren de Aragua originated more than a decade ago in a prison in Venezuela’s central state of Aragua, where inmates took control due to economic crisis and jail neglect. The gang expanded transnationally as Venezuelans emigrated, with Peru and Colombia accusing the group of driving rising violence in the region. The Trump administration has previously targeted the gang with strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean on small boats alleged to be smuggling drugs to the US.
