US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, leader of the notorious Tren de Agua gang, has been killed in a US strike in Venezuela.
The Trump administration has repeatedly accused Tren de Aragua of being behind the violence and drug trade in many US cities.
Venezuela confirmed Guerrero Flores’ death, saying he was killed during a “joint operation” with the United States in the southeastern state of Bolivar.
What did the Trump administration say on the death of Guerrero Flores?
Trump said the US had launched a “swift and deadly dynamic” attack to kill Guerrero Flores, whom he called the “notorious leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang.
In a post on his Truth social platform, Trump wrote that “Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will hunt down these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anywhere, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on Twitter that the attack was carried out earlier in the week on a gang compound in Venezuela.
A reward of up to $5 million (€4.32 million) was offered by the US State Department for information leading to the arrest of Guerrero Flores.
Venezuela’s communications ministry confirmed the death in a statement about the operation at the complex.
“Clashes broke out with members of these criminal structures, resulting in the killing of Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, alias ‘Nino Guerrero’,” it said.
What is Tren de Aragua?
Tren de Aragua came into existence more than 10 years ago in a prison in the central Venezuelan state of Aragua, where Guerrero Flores and other inmates took control and administration as prisons were neglected due to the country’s economic crisis.
His power over the prison was such that he was able to transform the prison into a city-like structure with its own zoo, baseball field, casino, and restaurants.
The gang then expanded internationally as millions of Venezuelans fled in search of a better life.
Many countries, including Peru and Colombia, have accused the group of being behind the increasing violence in the region.
Fraud, drug and firearms charges were filed against Guerrero Flores in New York in December.
America targets Train de Aragua
The Trump administration has also targeted the gang heavily, among other things, attacking small boats in the eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean that it says are smuggling drugs into the US.
Trump has claimed in the past that the gang operated under the control of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whom the US forced out of Venezuela in January to face drug charges.
However, a declassified US intelligence assessment has refuted that claim.
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Edited by: Roshni Majumdar