President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the United States military has killed the leader of Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang his administration designated a foreign terrorist organization.
The strike was carried out in cooperation with Venezuela; a rare display of security coordination between two governments that have long been at odds.
Trump said a “swift and lethal kinetic” US strike killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called “the infamous leader” of Tren de Aragua.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump declared: “At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.”
“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.” – President DONALD J. TRUMP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3R5IPxhPXX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 13, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike took place earlier this week on a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela.
Trump also shared unclassified footage of the operation; a video, shot from above, showing a small building with a green roof being destroyed in an explosion.
Venezuela’s government confirmed the joint operation involved intelligence sharing and specialized technical support, with the country’s communications ministry stating that “clashes occurred with members of these criminal structures, resulting in the death of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores.”
Guerrero Flores, who went by the aliases “Niño Guerrero,” “The Unspeakable,” and “The Big Eyebrow,” ran Tren de Aragua for more than a decade, helping grow it from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational organisation with a presence throughout the Americas.
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Prosecutors allege he initially operated the gang out of Tocorón Prison, directing members on the outside and collecting fees from their activities.
He escaped from the prison in 2012, was rearrested a year later, received a 17-year sentence in 2018, and escaped again in 2023, remaining at large until his death.
Guerrero Flores had been charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and lending support to terrorists, in crimes spanning more than a decade.
The State Department had offered up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest. Trump and his administration have consistently pointed to Tren de Aragua as a driver of violence and drug dealing in American cities.
The State Department designated Tren de Aragua a foreign terrorist organization in February 2025. The mission was described as closely coordinated with the Venezuelan government, highlighting the countries’ shifting relationship since Venezuela’s former leader was removed in an American military operation earlier this year.
