Trump says US military killed Venezuelan drug lord Niño Guerrero
US President Donald Trump announced the killing of Niño Guerrero, leader of the Tren de Aragua cartel, in a military strike earlier this week coordinated with Venezuela's interim government.
Strike on cartel leader
Donald Trump declared on Truth Social that US Southern Command had carried out “a swift, lethal kinetic strike” to kill Niño Guerrero, whom he called the notorious leader of “one of the bloodiest terrorist organizations on the planet.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the operation took place earlier in the week and that Guerrero’s death was verified. Trump posted a video showing a building with a green roof exploding.
On my orders, US Southern Command carried out a swift, lethal strike to kill Niño Guerrero, the notorious leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the bloodiest terrorist organizations on the planet.
The action was “closely coordinated with our friends in Venezuela,” Trump said, referring to the transitional government in Caracas. The White House, Southern Command, and Venezuela’s information ministry initially did not comment on the incident.
Who was Niño Guerrero?
Tren de Aragua, founded in Venezuela, has spread to Colombia, Peru and Chile, controlling migration routes and engaging in drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping and contract killings. The US State Department designated it a foreign terrorist organization and had placed a $5 million bounty on Guerrero. He escaped from Tocorón prison in 2023 shortly before a police raid.
The terrorists of Tren de Aragua no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.
Broader US campaign
In January, US forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas; he is now on trial in New York for “narco-terrorism.” His former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, became interim president. Since then, the US military has repeatedly attacked vessels suspected of drug smuggling, destroying dozens of boats and killing over 200 alleged traffickers. The Trump administration justifies these operations as part of a war on narco-terrorists from Latin America.
Critics, including some UN representatives and experts, say the victims included fishermen and that the attacks amount to extrajudicial killings. Washington has not provided clear evidence that all the dead were drug smugglers.
