US strike kills Tren de Aragua gang leader in Venezuela

The United States Southern Command, in cooperation with Venezuelan security forces, carried out a kinetic strike in Venezuela that killed Hector Guerrero Florés, known as “Niño Guerrero,” the leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal network. The gang, which originated in the Aragua state prison, has been involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, kidnapping and money‑laundering, and operated across Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Peru and even Spain. The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on Guerrero’s head and had previously designated the organization as a terrorist group. President Donald Trump announced the operation on his “Truth Social” platform, saying it fulfilled a promise to bring the gang’s leaders to justice. The strike was presented as a joint U.S.–Venezuelan effort to disrupt the gang’s international criminal activities.