Trump says the US strike to kill the Tren de Aragua terrorist boss with the help of Venezuela | Crime Stories

Gang leader Flores controlled Venezuela’s largest gang for years.

President Donald Trump says the US military has killed a “prominent leader” of Tren De Aragua, a Venezuelan terrorist group that the government says is a global “terrorist” and drug-trafficking group.

“Under my leadership, the United States Southern Command struck quickly and brutally to kill Niño Guerrero,” Trump said in a tweet on his Truth Social page on Friday, referring to the leader of the gang Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores.

Trump added that the project was coordinated with Venezuela.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government confirmed that it was involved in the operation in the southeast of Bolivar, saying that Flores was killed during “conflicts with members of gangs”.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, writing on X, said that the strike happened at the beginning of the week, targeting the Tren de Aragua site in Venezuela.

“This action underscores the shared commitment of the US and Venezuela to combat narco-terrorists and deny them a safe haven in our region,” he said.

Tren de Aragua originated from a notorious prison in the state of Aragua in Venezuela, where many drug traffickers and criminals are controlled.

The group has about 7,000 members spread across South America and the US. They were named a terrorist group by the US in February 2025, at the beginning of the Trump administration.

Ecuador, Argentina, Peru, Canada and Trinidad and Tobago have also named the terrorist group.

Gang leader Flores, 42, escaped from Tocoron prison in Venezuela along with other gang leaders before the police in 2023.

He was charged in absentia in a New York court in December with conspiracy, aiding and abetting terrorists and other charges.

Washington has attributed the attacks on small boats in the Pacific and the Caribbean to several terrorist attacks. At least 207 people have been killed. Relatives of some of those killed said they were fishermen.

The strike is considered illegal under US and other international law and is said to be illegal unjust killing and legal experts and rights groups.

The Trump administration has also cited terrorist links to justify deporting some immigrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

Trump has said without evidence that the group worked under the protection of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In January, US forces kidnapped Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in a raid in Caracas. Maduro is now facing drug charges.