President Donald Trump announced a US airstrike successfully killed Héctor 'Niño' Guerrero, the fugitive leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal syndicate. Executed by US Southern Command in coordination with Venezuela, the operation targeted the gang's global network, following federal racketeering charges against Guerrero in New York.
US President Donald Trump announced that the United States military has killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, widely known as "Niño Guerrero", the top leader of the Venezuela-based transnational criminal syndicate Tren de Aragua. In a social media broadcast, Trump stated that US Southern Command executed a targeted airstrike to eliminate the fugitive gang leader, marking a significant escalation in US operations against Latin American organised crime networks. The operation was conducted in close coordination with the Venezuelan government, according to the announcement. Neither the Pentagon nor US Southern Command immediately released independent statements verifying the operational specifics. US-Iran War: Donald Trump Accuses Tehran of Bad Faith in Peace Talks, Claims Drone Attack Targeted Indian Vessels. Tren De Aragua Terrorists No Longer Have Safe Haven, Says Donald Trump President Trump disclosed the operational details on Friday evening through a post on Truth Social. According to the administration, US forces utilised a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" to target Guerrero Flores. The announcement was accompanied by a verified, classified video snippet showing a projectile striking a building structure, which instantly erupted into flames and a dense cloud of debris. In his public statement, Trump issued a direct warning to the criminal syndicate's remaining networks: "Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drugs lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong," the post on Truth Social read. Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias "Niño Guerrero," was the maximum leader and chief strategist of Tren de Aragua, which grew from a localised Venezuelan prison gang into one of the most feared transnational crime syndicates in the Americas. Operating for years from his heavily fortified stronghold inside Venezuela's Tocorón prison, Guerrero managed an international criminal empire while technically incarcerated. Under his leadership, Tren de Aragua expanded its membership to over 7,000 operatives, establishing violent footprints across Colombia, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, and eventually the United States. Guerrero faced extensive criminal indictments globally; most recently, he was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking, and providing material support to a designated criminal enterprise. He had been a high-priority international fugitive since escaping a massive Venezuelan military raid on the Tocorón prison complex. US-Israel-Iran War Update: Donald Trump and Tehran Move to Sign Historic US-Iran Peace Deal in Geneva. The strike represents a stark geopolitical shift, given the historically fractured diplomatic relations between Washington and Caracas. The White House indicated that the military mission required direct, high-level intelligence and tactical coordination with the Venezuelan state administration to map Guerrero's precise physical hideout. The targeted strike occurs amidst an aggressive, ongoing US domestic and foreign campaign directed at the gang's infrastructure. The US government previously designated Tren de Aragua as a transnational criminal organisation, implementing sweeping sanctions, financial blockades, and major law enforcement sweeps to neutralise its cells operating inside US borders. TruLY Score 5 – Trustworthy | On a Trust Scale of 0-5 this article has scored 5 on LatestLY. It is verified through official sources (Official Truth Social Account of Donald Trump). The information is thoroughly cross-checked and confirmed. You can confidently share this article with your friends and family, knowing it is trustworthy and reliable. (The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 13, 2026 07:15 AM IST. 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