US Air Strike Eliminates Leader of Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua
American military forces carried out a lethal strike that eliminated the chief of the Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua, according to an announcement by President Donald Trump.
US Air Strike Eliminates Leader of Venezuelan Gang Tren de Aragua
American armed forces executed an air assault that ended the life of the head of a major Venezuelan criminal network, announced President Donald Trump.
The operation targeted Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, widely known as Niño Guerrero, who had led Tren de Aragua for years. The commander-in-chief declared on social media that Southern Command executed a "rapid and lethal kinetic strike" under his orders.
The president shared images showing an explosion consuming a green structure and an adjacent shed. Trump indicated that the mission was carried out in coordination with Venezuelan authorities, describing the collaboration as productive.
Venezuelan officials acknowledged their participation, characterising the action as a combined effort. The gang in question is among the most feared criminal groups in Latin America and had been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the current administration.
Under Guerrero's command, the group expanded its reach beyond Venezuela into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile. What began as a prison-based gang evolved into a transnational operation involved in extortion, sexual exploitation, contract killings and kidnappings.
Guerrero had an extensive history of imprisonment. In 2012, he bribed a guard to escape, only to be recaptured the following year. He subsequently transformed the Tocorón correctional facility into a luxurious complex that included a zoo, restaurants, a nightclub, gambling facilities and a swimming pool.
In late 2023, then-president Nicolás Maduro deployed thousands of troops to retake control of the prison. Guerrero escaped once more. Despite these setbacks, he continued to expand the organisation's control over gold mining operations, coastal narcotics routes and illicit border crossings.
The State Department had previously offered a substantial reward for information leading to his capture. The gang is believed to now maintain cells in at least eight nations, including the United States, where it is associated with local criminal entities.
Since September, American forces have carried out numerous attacks against vessels allegedly involved in drug smuggling, resulting in more than 200 deaths. Critics have questioned whether the attacked vessels were actually transporting contraband and whether the attacks comply with international law.
The administration maintains that the operations are legal, asserting that the president has formally declared that the country is in armed conflict with drug cartels and that vessel crews qualify as combatants.
Source: Google News MT