US Military Kills Venezuelan Gang Leader Niño Guerrero in Strike Coordinated with Venezuela

Jun 13, 2026

The U.S. military, at President Trump's direction, killed Tren de Aragua gang leader "Niño" Guerrero in a strike coordinated with Venezuela. The operation in Venezuela's Bolívar state targeted the head of the transnational criminal group, which the U.S. deems a terrorist organization. Guerrero was wanted on U.S. terrorism and drug charges. The strike is part of a broader Trump administration campaign against narcoterrorism.

US strike on Niño Guerrero

▪Guerrero was charged in a New York federal court with crimes including racketeering, terrorism, drug importation, and firearms offenses.
▪A US military strike killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as "Niño Guerrero," the leader of the Tren de Aragua gang.
▪The operation took place "earlier this week" relative to June 13, 2026, at a gang compound in Venezuela's southeastern state of Bolívar.
▪The Biden administration in 2024 had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores' arrest.
▪The strike was conducted by the U.S. Southern Command at the direction of President Donald Trump.

US-Venezuela operational coordination

▪In January, U.S. troops captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who now faces federal drug charges in the U.S.
▪Venezuela's government confirmed its participation, stating Guerrero was killed during clashes with criminal groups.
▪The strike was closely coordinated with the Venezuelan government and involved intelligence sharing between the two countries.

Tren de Aragua criminal activities

▪The U.S. State Department has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
▪Tren de Aragua is a transnational criminal gang involved in human trafficking, drug smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, and money laundering.
▪Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago have also designated Tren de Aragua as a terror group.
▪The gang has an estimated 7,000 members spread across South America and the US.

Venezuelan prison gang origins

▪The gang originated in a prison in Venezuela's Aragua state in the mid-2000s and has expanded across Latin America and into several U.S. cities.
▪Guerrero, age 42, escaped from Tocoron prison in Venezuela in 2023 along with other gang leaders just before a police raid.

Trump administration narcoterrorism campaign

▪The Trump administration has conducted lethal strikes on boats in the Pacific and Caribbean, killing at least 207 people, while alleging it was targeting the gang.
▪President Trump has used the gang's activities to justify deporting some immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.