President Trump Announces U.S. Airstrike that Kills Venezuelan Gang Leader
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that a U.S. Southern Command strike killed Héctor Rústhenford “Niño” Guerrero, the long‑time leader of the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela.
“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero,” Trump wrote. He added the operation was coordinated closely with Venezuelan allies.
Venezuelan authorities confirmed a “joint operation” that removed Guerrero, a gang that is among Latin America’s most infamous criminal groups. The U.S. has long targeted Tren de Aragua, designating it a foreign terrorist organization and seeking to cut its drug‑trafficking routes.
The gang, once a prison-based organization, evolved into a transnational criminal network under Guerrero’s leadership. It has expanded into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and beyond, engaging in extortion, kidnapping, sex trafficking and contract killings.
Guerrero famously converted Venezuela’s Tocorón prison into a leisure complex with restaurants, a nightclub, a zoo and a swimming pool, while he remained an influential figure even while incarcerated. In 2012, he escaped by bribing a guard, was rearrested a year later, and later led the gang to seize control of gold mines, drug corridors and clandestine border crossings.
The U.S. has launched dozens of strikes on vessels that it alleges ferry drugs into the United States, many identified as linked to Tren de Aragua. Over 200 people have reportedly been killed in strikes since September 2023.
Critics argue that the strikes may violate international law, as evidence that the targeted vessels carried drugs or smugglers has been lacking. Some legal experts question whether destroying suspected civilian vessels constitutes a lawful act of war.
In a statement to Congress, the White House maintained that the U.S. is in a formal armed conflict with drug cartels and that crews of drug‑running boats are combatants. Trump’s administration has insisted the killings are lawful and part of a broader strategy to combat the drug trade.
