Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the leader of the Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua, was killed in early June 2026 in a coordinated airstrike carried out by US and Venezuelan forces in Bolivar state, Venezuela [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The operation used intelligence sharing and advanced technology, underscoring cooperation between the two countries against organized crime [3, 4, 5].

Tren de Aragua is a notorious gang designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US in 2025. It expanded beyond Venezuela into Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Brazil, and Panama, engaging in extortion, drug trafficking, human trafficking, contract killings, and kidnapping [1, 3, 4, 5]. The US offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores’s arrest [2, 6, 3, 7].

Guerrero Flores was indicted by a US federal court in New York in December 2025 on racketeering conspiracy and supporting terrorism charges [2, 6, 4, 5]. He had a long history of prison escapes, bribing guards to get free in 2012 before being recaptured and sent to Tocoron prison. There, he expanded his gang’s influence and created a complex prison ‘city’ with leisure amenities under his leadership [1, 7, 4, 5]. The gang is estimated to have about 7,000 members [4].

The US former President Donald Trump took credit for the operation, describing Tren de Aragua as "one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth" and affirming the strike was directed under his leadership [2, 3]. He blamed his predecessor Joe Biden for allowing the gang to operate by opening the US southern border to migrants, which he claimed resulted in violence and deaths of American citizens [2, 8, 9]. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike showed the shared commitment of the US and Venezuela to fight narco-terrorists and deny them safe haven [4].

Previous US actions targeting Tren de Aragua included strikes against smuggling operations and boat attacks tied to drug trafficking [2, 6, 4]. The Venezuelan Ministry of Communications confirmed clashes in which Guerrero Flores was neutralized [3].

His death may improve prospects for legal gold mining in Bolivar by reducing illegal armed group activity there [10].

A timeline of key events shows Guerrero Flores escaped prison multiple times, was indicted in December 2025, and was killed in the June 2026 operation [1, 2, 6, 3, 7, 4, 5].