President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces conducted a successful strike, eliminating Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The Pentagon confirmed the leader’s death during the operation, which involved cooperation and intelligence sharing with Venezuelan authorities.
Tren de Aragua is known for extensive criminal activities including human trafficking and drug smuggling, and has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department.
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President Donald Trump announced Friday that U.S. forces, under his directive, executed a precise and lethal strike resulting in the death of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the notorious leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Trump described the group as one of the "most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth" in a statement on Truth Social.
The operation, conducted earlier this week by the United States Southern Command, was confirmed by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who stated Guerrero "was confirmed killed during the strike." Venezuela's information ministry corroborated the event, reporting clashes with criminal groups in Bolívar state where the leader, Guerrero, was neutralized. The ministry also highlighted that the operation benefited from specialized technological support and close cooperation and intelligence sharing between Venezuelan and U.S. authorities.
The Trump administration has previously targeted Guerrero and other Tren de Aragua leaders with sanctions due to their alleged involvement in serious criminal activities including illicit drug smuggling, human trafficking, and money laundering. The State Department has officially designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
Trump has asserted that Tren de Aragua has coordinated its activities within the U.S. with the Venezuelan government led by President Nicolás Maduro. This alleged connection has been cited by the Trump administration as a justification for deporting some immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
Tren de Aragua is widely recognized for its extensive involvement in human trafficking, controlling migration routes used by Venezuelans and other South American migrants heading towards destinations like Chile, other South American nations, and Europe. The gang's illicit operations, according to Latin American police officials, extend to extortion, kidnapping, money laundering, contract killings, smuggling, and organized retail theft across various countries from Panama to Brazil and along the Andean corridor.
Guerrero had previously escaped from the Tocoron prison in Venezuela in 2023, along with other gang leaders, shortly before a police raid on the facility.
Citizens continue their daily lives as the political shadow of deposed President Nicolas Maduro fades from public consciousness in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 11, 2026.
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