Venezuela confirms death of Tren de Aragua criminal group leader

The Venezuelan government has confirmed an announcement by United States President Donald Trump that Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, leader of the Venezuela-based criminal organisation Tren de Aragua, was killed in an operation involving Venezuelan and US authorities. Venezuela’s Ministry of Communication and Information stated that Guerrero Flores, better known by the alias “Nino Guerrero”, was neutralised in an operation targeting the criminal group in a rural area of Bolivar state. Authorities said a clash occurred with members of the group during the operation, which was carried out with the support of advanced technology, intelligence sharing, and cooperation mechanisms between the two countries. Trump had earlier announced that Flores died in an operation conducted with the support of Venezuelan authorities. Tren de Aragua is a criminal organisation originating in Venezuela that has expanded its operations to several Latin American countries in recent years. The group has been linked to human trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion, and murder. The United States designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2025. Guerrero Flores was indicted by a federal court in New York last December on multiple charges, including racketeering and providing material support for terrorist activities. According to media reports, Guerrero Flores was born in 1983 in Maracay, Aragua state, Venezuela. His name first appeared in police records in the early 2000s and in 2005 when he was accused of involvement in the murder of a police officer. He was arrested in 2010 on several charges, including murder, drug trafficking, and extortion, but escaped from prison in 2012. After being recaptured a year later, he was transferred to Tocoron Prison, where his influence grew significantly until he became a “pran”—a Venezuelan term for a powerful prison gang leader. US prosecutors accused Guerrero Flores of leading a transnational criminal network for more than a decade across Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, and Panama. Under his leadership, Tren de Aragua grew into one of the most notorious transnational criminal organisations in Latin America.