U.S. says strike kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero in Venezuela

President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. Southern Command carried out a swift kinetic strike in Venezuela that killed Hector Rústénford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero,” the head of the drug cartel Tren de Aragua. Trump posted on his social‑media platform, stating: “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…”. The operation was described as coordinated with Venezuelan authorities, and a classified video of the strike was shared publicly.

Tren de Aragua, designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, has been linked to drug trafficking, extortion and other transnational crimes across the Americas. The U.S. had previously offered a multi‑million‑dollar reward for information leading to Guerrero’s capture. Earlier legal actions in December 2025 brought federal terrorism and drug‑trafficking charges against the gang’s leadership, including former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The strike marks the latest escalation in U.S. efforts to dismantle the cartel’s network.