US strike kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero in joint operation with Venezuela

Joint operation in southern Venezuela

Venezuelan authorities confirmed on Friday that a joint operation with the United States targeted "organized criminal structures" in the south of the country. Clashes with gang members left their chief, Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores (alias Niño Guerrero), "neutralized", the ministry of communication and information said. The operation was described as a precise US kinetic strike ordered directly by President Donald Trump. Trump stressed the action was "closely coordinated with our friends in Venezuela".

The US Southern Command executed a swift and deadly kinetic attack to eliminate Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren de Aragua. The operation was carried out in close coordination with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.

The Venezuelan government statement did not disclose the exact location or the number of casualties beyond Guerrero. AFP reported that the 42-year-old gang leader had been indicted in a New York court in 2025 alongside 69 other alleged members.

From prison gang to transnational threat

Tren de Aragua — Spanish for "the Aragua train" — originated as a Venezuelan prison gang and became one of the most heavily armed criminal organizations in Latin America. It specializes in kidnappings, contract killings, luxury vehicle theft, and trafficking in humans, drugs and gold. Under Guerrero's leadership, the group expanded its reach alongside mass emigration of Venezuelans fleeing economic and humanitarian collapse under Nicolás Maduro. Today the gang operates in Colombia, Peru, Chile and has extended its activities into North America and Europe.

Guerrero Flores was responsible for transforming Tren de Aragua from a Venezuelan prison gang into an international terrorist organization. Under his leadership, members committed countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking across North and South America and Europe.

The United States formally designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist organization, and the State Department offered up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero's arrest or conviction.

Trump's video and response

In his Truth Social post, Trump attached a 10-second aerial video showing a building roof, followed by an explosion and a plume of black smoke. No individuals were visible on the recording. "As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else," Trump wrote. He did not specify the precise site of the attack.

The strike comes five months after US forces captured former president Nicolás Maduro in January on charges of decades-long cocaine trafficking conspiracies, including cooperation with Tren de Aragua. Since Maduro's detention, interim President Delcy Rodriguez — who was Maduro's vice president — has led Venezuela and authorized the joint operation.

Shifting dynamics in Caracas

The collaboration reflects a sharp turn in US-Venezuela relations following Maduro's removal. The Trump administration has touted growing security cooperation with Rodriguez's interim government. Venezuela's communications ministry confirmed the operation was a joint effort, while Trump avoided naming Rodriguez directly, referring instead to "our friends in Venezuela". The operation signals a willingness by both parties to tackle organised crime that flourished during Maduro's rule.