Trump announces US strike kills Tren de Aragua kingpin Niño Guerrero
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President Donald Trump announced Friday night that U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) “conducted a swift and lethal kinetic strike” to successfully execute Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, the “infamous” leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA).
The US State Department had previously offered a reward of up to $5 million for the arrest or conviction of the 43-year-old Venezuelan.
“Before I returned to office, Joe Biden opened our Southern Border to millions of Illegal Criminals and allowed this foreign military to rape, maim, and murder American Citizens with impunity,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social. he wrote. “During my campaign, I pledged to drive these monsters from our Country and bring Justice to the families they murdered, including precious 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, 22-year-old Laken Reilly, and countless other beautiful souls.”
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Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, was wanted by the US State Department. (US Department of State)
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The president said that with Friday’s action, the U.S. military was “bringing revenge on them, their families, and their loved ones.”
“Early in my administration, I made good on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels who have long waged war against our citizens while weak leaders leave America helpless and on the defensive,” Trump wrote.
New video released Friday showed a deadly US military strike targeting alleged Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero. (President Donald Trump via Truth Social)
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“This action was taken in close coordination with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we work very well,” he continued. “As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe havens in Venezuela or anywhere else, and under my leadership, we will find these brutal murderers and drug lords anytime, anywhere and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.”
Originally a prison gang in Venezuela’s Aragua state, the TdA has evolved into a transnational criminal organization led by Flores, according to the State Department. The group has since been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.
Guards escort inmates with alleged ties to criminal organizations at the CECOT prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Salvadorian Government, File via Getty Images)
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Guerrero spent many years in Tocorón Prison in Venezuela’s Aragua State and expanded the group’s influence by blackmailing prison inmates and bribing guards, authorities said.
The gang then took overall control of the Tocorón prison, the gold mines in Bolivar State, drug corridors on the Caribbean coast, and some secret border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia.
