US-Venezuela joint operation kills leader of Tren de Aragua gang
Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
At a glance
News
Official statement
Outcome reported
- The leader of the transnational Tren de Aragua gang was killed in Venezuela during a joint operation with the United States.
- The operation targeted Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Nino Guerrero, in Bolivar state.
- US officials described the strike as a warning to "narco-terrorists" in Latin America, emphasizing that the gang has no safe haven.
The leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in Venezuela as part of a joint operation with the United States. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Nino Guerrero, was "neutralized" in the southeastern Bolivar state, according to Venezuela's Ministry of Communications.
As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.
US President Donald Trump announced the strike, stating that US forces carried out a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" coordinated with Venezuelan partners. "As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else," Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.
The death of Nino Guerrero sends a clear message to Latin America. There is no refuge for narco-terrorists in our hemisphere.
A senior aide to the Pentagon chief echoed this sentiment, calling the killing a stark warning to Latin America. "The death of Nino Guerrero sends a clear message to Latin America. There is no refuge for narco-terrorists in our hemisphere," the aide stated on X.
Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organisation.
Founded in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and operates in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. US federal prosecutors had previously filed racketeering, drug, and firearms charges against Guerrero Flores, describing him as the mastermind behind the gang's evolution from a prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization responsible for "countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking" across continents. The US State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
Tren de Aragua, under Guerrero Flores’s leadership, has committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe.
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by Dawn. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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