US kills Tren de Aragua leader Hctor Guerrero Flores in coordinated strike
US military kills Héctor Guerrero Flores, leader of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, in coordinated strike
WASHINGTON, 13 June 2026 — US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that American forces had killed Héctor Guerrero Flores, the reputed leader of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, describing the operation as retribution for the gang’s victims and stressing it was carried out in “close coordination” with Venezuelan authorities. The strike, which Trump said targeted the 42-year-old Flores, marks the most high-profile US military action against a transnational criminal organisation operating from Venezuelan soil.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump stated that US Special Operations units conducted the lethal mission, though he did not disclose the location or date of the operation. “The United States will not tolerate the violence and terror that this gang has inflicted on innocent people,” Trump said. “We acted with the full support of the Venezuelan government.” Venezuelan officials separately confirmed the death of the gang leader but provided no further details.
Tren de Aragua, originally a prison gang founded in Tocorón in the 1980s, has expanded into a sprawling criminal enterprise with operations across South America, Europe and the United States. The group is accused of drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion, prostitution rings and contract killings. In 2024, the US Treasury designated Tren de Aragua a “transnational criminal organisation,” and the State Department listed it as a terrorist entity in March 2026.
Flores, widely known by the alias “Niño Guerrero,” had led the gang since the early 2010s and was wanted by authorities in at least seven countries for crimes including murder, kidnapping and human trafficking. Colombian police reported a 40% drop in migrant smuggling along the Darién Gap in May 2026, attributing the decline to intensified pressure on Tren de Aragua networks. Ecuadorian authorities, meanwhile, recorded a 22% decrease in extortion cases in border cities during the first quarter of 2026, a trend some analysts link to the gang’s leadership crisis.
Reaction to the operation was swift. The Lima Group, an alliance of 12 Latin American nations, issued a statement calling the strike “a significant step in combating transnational organised crime,” while urging continued regional cooperation. Human rights organisations, however, warned that the operation could trigger retaliatory violence. “Without addressing the root causes of gang recruitment and state corruption, targeted strikes risk escalating cycles of violence,” said Ana María Díaz, director of Caracas-based NGO ProJusticia.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the specific units involved, but a senior US defence official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that intelligence sharing with Venezuelan counterparts had been “critical” to the mission’s success. Trump is scheduled to meet with regional leaders in Bogotá next week to discuss further joint counter-narcotics and anti-gang initiatives.
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