Published on 6/13/2026
US President Donald Trump announced the killing of Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan “Tren de Aragua” organization, which he described as a terrorist organization, in a military operation carried out in coordination with Caracas.
Trump said – in a post on his platform, “Truth Social” – that “the United States Southern Command carried out a quick and lethal strike, which resulted in the elimination of Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Tren de Aragua,” explaining that the operation took place in “close coordination” with the Venezuelan authorities.
The operation comes in the context of a broader security escalation led by the Trump administration in the Caribbean region, which aims – according to its description – to dismantle drug trafficking and cross-border organized crime networks.
Reports indicate that Niño Guerrero – whose name is Hector Rostenford Guerrero Flores – is considered the most prominent leader of the “Tren de Aragua” network, as he began his criminal activity at the beginning of the millennium in the Venezuelan state of Aragua, and he has previously been convicted in cases including murder and drug smuggling.
Guerrero became famous for running the network for years from inside the Tocoron prison, which he turned into an integrated operations center that included luxury facilities, in addition to money laundering activities linked to extortion.
In September 2023, Guerrero was able to escape after the Venezuelan army stormed the prison, prompting Washington to offer a reward of $5 million for information about him, while classifying him as an “international terrorist.”
Tren de Aragua
The Tren de Aragua was established as a prison gang between 2007 and 2009, but it took advantage of the economic collapse and waves of migration to transform into one of the most prominent transnational criminal organizations in Latin America, as it has cells in Colombia, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, and its influence has recently reached within the United States of America.
Washington had classified the network as a “foreign terrorist organization” and froze the assets of its leaders, in parallel with the US Navy carrying out strikes targeting boats and ships accused of engaging in drug smuggling operations, in addition to destroying facilities and warehouses inside Venezuela used by these gangs.
