Trump Says US Military Operation Kills Alleged Tren de Aragua Leader

Washington, June 2026: US President Donald Trump announced that the American military had carried out a targeted operation that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, better known as “Niño Guerrero,” the alleged leader of the Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua. Trump described the operation as a major victory in the administration’s campaign against transnational criminal networks and said it was conducted in close coordination with Venezuelan authorities.

In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said the mission was executed by the US Southern Command and involved what he termed a “swift and lethal kinetic strike” against Guerrero, whom he labelled one of the world’s most dangerous criminal figures. According to the President, the operation was personally authorised by him and fulfilled a key promise made during his election campaign to aggressively pursue violent criminal organisations operating across the Americas.

Trump portrayed the action as part of a broader effort to protect American communities from organised crime groups that he claims expanded their presence in the United States through illegal migration and cross-border criminal activity. He said the strike represented justice for victims of violent crimes allegedly linked to members of the gang and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to dismantling such networks.

The President also used the announcement to criticise the immigration policies of former President Joe Biden, arguing that lax border controls had allowed dangerous criminal organisations to establish footholds in the United States. Trump maintained that his administration had taken decisive measures to reverse that trend through stricter border enforcement, deportations and a tougher approach toward organised crime.

Highlighting his administration’s actions against criminal groups, Trump noted that Tren de Aragua had been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. He said the United States had intensified efforts to target the group’s leadership, disrupt its finances and dismantle its operational networks throughout the Western Hemisphere.

According to Trump, the operation was conducted with the cooperation of Venezuelan authorities. He stated that both countries had worked closely on the mission and claimed that the group no longer enjoys safe havens in Venezuela or elsewhere. He further vowed to continue pursuing criminal leaders involved in drug trafficking, human smuggling, extortion and other forms of organised crime.

Reports indicate that Guerrero had been one of the most wanted criminal figures in the region. US authorities had previously sanctioned him and offered rewards for information leading to his capture due to his alleged role in directing the activities of Tren de Aragua, which has expanded from its origins in Venezuela into several countries across Latin America and beyond. The organisation has been linked by law enforcement agencies to drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, money laundering and contract killings.

Tren de Aragua emerged from Venezuela’s Tocorón prison and gradually evolved into a transnational criminal network. Authorities in multiple countries have accused the organisation of exploiting migration routes and establishing criminal operations across the region. Its growing influence has made it a primary target for security agencies throughout the Americas.

While Trump celebrated the operation as a significant blow against organised crime, neither the Pentagon nor Venezuelan officials immediately released detailed information regarding the circumstances of the strike. However, reports from US media indicated that the operation had been coordinated with authorities in Venezuela and formed part of a wider campaign aimed at dismantling criminal organisations viewed by Washington as threats to regional security.

The announcement marks another escalation in the Trump administration’s strategy of using military and intelligence resources to target major criminal groups operating across Latin America, reinforcing its emphasis on border security, counter-narcotics efforts and the fight against transnational organised crime.

(The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)