Breaking: Trump says US has killed leader of Venezuelan drug cartel in air strike

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that the U.S. military has killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the leader of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua drug cartel. The operation was described as a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" carried out by the United States Southern Command.

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At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero.

"At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero," the president stated in a post on Truth Social. He added that the action was "coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well."

Trump, who previously designated Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, emphasized his administration's efforts against cartels. "Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else … we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong," he wrote.

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This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well.

Guerrero Flores is identified by the U.S. as a Venezuelan drug trafficker and leader of Tren de Aragua. In January 2026, he was named a co-defendant in the indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

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Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else … we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.