Venezuelan crime boss 'Niño Guerrero' killed in US-backed operation

Héctor Guerrero Flores, the alleged leader of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, has been killed in an operation coordinated by the US Southern Command in close collaboration with Venezuela. The United States had placed a $5 million bounty on Guerrero, identifying him as one of South America's most wanted criminals.

His death was announced by former US President Donald Trump on his social media platform Truth, following earlier rumors linking a mining area operation in Venezuela's Bolívar state to the search for Guerrero. This development occurs five months after the US captured Nicolás Maduro, accusing his government of cooperating with the Tren de Aragua, an organization linked to widespread extortion, kidnapping, and human trafficking.

Guerrero, 42, had been a fugitive since 2023 after a Venezuelan operation at the Tocorón prison, which served as the Tren de Aragua's operational base. The organization had expanded its reach across Latin America and into the United States, where the Trump administration designated it as a terrorist entity. Washington accused Guerrero of transforming the group from a prison gang focused on extortion and bribery into a continental criminal network posing a significant threat to public safety.

Venezuela had also announced a reward for Guerrero's capture following the 2023 operation at Tocorón. He was serving a sentence of over 17 years for multiple offenses, including intentional homicide and illegal possession of a war weapon. According to InSight Crime, Guerrero had been leading the Tren de Aragua since around 2015, consolidating control over an organization that had existed prior to his leadership.