A screenshot from a video that Pres. Donald Trump posted on social media showing a building being blown up. (Photo: Screenshot/Donald Trump/Truth Social/AFP)
The leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua was killed in a joint operation by the USA and Venezuela.
Tren de Aragua, which is based in Venezuela, is designated by the VSA as a ʼn terrorist organization and is also active in Colombia, Peru and Chile.
Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, better known as “Niño Guerrero”, was killed during the joint operation in the southeast of the state of Bolivar.
“On my order, the US Southern Command Center executed a swift and deadly strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
The attack “is now coordinated with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we cooperate very well”, said the post, apparently referring to the interim leadership of Delcy Rodriguez, who has been in power since the US removed Nicolas Maduro from leadership in January.
“As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or elsewhere,” the post said. Trump also posted a ten-second video that shows how a building is blown up.
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At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of… pic.twitter.com/IMj9iZzTYM
— Commentary Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) June 13, 2026
Federal prosecutors in New York filed extortion, drug and firearms possession charges against the gang leader in December.
“Guerrero Flores was the mastermind behind Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang to a transnational terrorist organization,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton said at the time.
Tren de Aragua, under Guerrero Flores’ leadership, “committed countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking across North America, South America and Europe,” he said.
The US State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
The joint operation is the latest example of improving ties between the US and Venezuela since Maduro’s arrest.