President Donald Trump announced on Friday that a "swift and lethal kinetic" U.S. military strike had killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he described as "the infamous leader" of the Tren de Aragua gang. The gang has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Guerrero Flores faced charges in a New York federal court, including racketeering conspiracy and providing support to terrorists, in a case spanning over a decade, as announced by authorities in December. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated at the time that the gang was responsible for widespread violence, extortion, and drug trafficking across North America, South America, and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to serve as director of national intelligence.
The U.S. State Department had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores' arrest. In a post on his social media platform, Trump wrote, "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 drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong." Trump referred to Guerrero Flores by his alias, "Niño Guerrero."
The Pentagon declined to comment beyond Trump's Truth Social post. Venezuela's Ministry of Communications did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the operation.
Trump has taken extraordinary actions against the gang, including strikes on small boats accused of smuggling drugs to America. At least 207 people have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military in the eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea since the Trump administration began targeting "narcoterrorists" in early September.
Trump and his administration have consistently blamed Tren de Aragua for violence and drug dealing in some U.S. cities. The president repeatedly claimed, against a declassified U.S. intelligence assessment, that the gang operated under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's control. The U.S. extradited Maduro to face drug charges in January.
Tren de Aragua originated over a decade ago at a notoriously lawless prison in Venezuela's central state of Aragua. The gang expanded as millions of Venezuelans migrated to other Latin American countries or the U.S. The gang's size remains unclear. Countries like Peru and Colombia have blamed it for violence, but unlike other criminal organizations, Tren de Aragua is not heavily involved in large-scale cocaine smuggling, according to InSight Crime, a think tank tracking crime in Latin America.
In Venezuela, gang leaders have long engaged in illegal activities, including gold mining. Trump campaigned for a second term on promises to crack down on immigration and crime. While his approval ratings have slipped on the economy, immigration remains his strongest issue, according to the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
