Trump Announces Killing of South America's Largest Crime Syndicate Leader

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday (local time) that the U.S. military had killed the leader of South America's criminal organization 'Tren de Aragua' (TdA), Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, also known as 'Niño Guerrero'. Trump stated via his social media platform 'Truth Social' that the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) eliminated Guerrero in an operation.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for the arrest or conviction of Guerrero, a 43-year-old Venezuelan national. President Trump had promised during his election campaign to deport criminals and deliver justice to victims' families. The Department of Homeland Security had previously charged Tren de Aragua operatives with terrorism.

The Tren de Aragua organization began as a prison gang in the Venezuelan state of Aragua but has since grown into an international criminal organization designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. Under Guerrero's leadership, the group expanded its influence by extorting prison inmates and bribing prison guards. It subsequently gained control of the Tocorón prison, gold mines in the state of Bolívar, drug trafficking routes along the Caribbean coast, and parts of the illegal border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia.

President Trump stated that the operation was carried out in cooperation with Venezuelan authorities. New footage released on Friday shows a U.S. airstrike targeting Niño Guerrero, identified as the leader of Tren de Aragua. In a statement released Friday night, President Trump said the operation was coordinated in cooperation with Venezuela. The Trump administration designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization, deported thousands of its members, and declared war on cartels that have waged war against U.S. citizens. Tren de Aragua members will no longer find safe haven in any region, including Venezuela, and these murderers and drug lords will be tracked down and sent to where they belong.