The alleged head of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was killed this week during a joint military operation involving the United States and Venezuela, according to announcements made Friday by President Donald Trump and Venezuelan officials.
Trump said U.S. Southern Command carried out the strike against Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, widely known as Niño Guerrero. In a post on Truth Social, the president said he ordered the operation and described it as a successful mission coordinated with the Venezuelan government. He also shared video that appeared to show a building being hit by a projectile before bursting into flames.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later said the attack had taken place earlier in the week at a Tren de Aragua compound inside Venezuela. The Venezuelan communications ministry also confirmed Guerrero Flores died during what it called a combined operation targeting organized crime in Bolívar state.
Guerrero Flores had been wanted by U.S. authorities after being charged in federal court in New York. The indictment included allegations of racketeering, conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, and cocaine trafficking. The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture.
Federal prosecutors accused Guerrero Flores of turning Tren de Aragua from a prison-based gang into a criminal organization operating across several countries in the Americas, including the United States. Court documents alleged the group was involved in drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, and violent crimes.
Investigators said Guerrero Flores directed much of the gang’s activity while imprisoned at Tocorón Prison in Venezuela. Reports about the prison claimed he lived under unusually comfortable conditions and had access to an entire floor guarded by loyal followers. The prison was also said to contain a swimming pool, nightclub, zoo, and restaurants. Prosecutors alleged Venezuelan authorities allowed him to control many of the prison’s daily operations.
His time in custody was marked by multiple escapes. He reportedly broke out of prison in 2012 before being captured again the following year. After receiving a 17-year sentence in 2018, he escaped once more in 2023 and remained at large until this week’s operation.
The strike comes several months after U.S. forces removed former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from power during a military raid. Maduro was taken to New York to face federal drug charges, and prosecutors accused him of working with criminal organizations that included Tren de Aragua. Guerrero Flores was listed as a co-conspirator in the same case. Maduro has pleaded not guilty.
Since Maduro’s removal, Venezuela has been led by his former deputy, Delcy Rodríguez. The Trump administration has worked with her government, lifting sanctions and seeking cooperation on oil production as relations between the two countries have shifted.
Tren de Aragua has remained a major focus of the Trump administration. The group was designated a foreign terrorist organization in early 2025. The administration has also relied on that designation to support military strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats and to justify deportations carried out under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
Those actions have drawn criticism from legal experts and some judges, who questioned both the legal basis for the operations and whether people accused of gang ties received due process. A National Intelligence Council assessment concluded that the Venezuelan government does not direct Tren de Aragua, although Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly rejected that finding.
