In brief
Donald Trump tweeted a video of a US airstrike that eliminated Héctor Guerrero Flores, the notorious Mexican‑influenced gang boss behind Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua. The strike reportedly involved the US Southern Command and was coordinated with Venezuelan authorities, and Trump marked the operation as a “swift and lethal kinetic strike.” The incident follows a series of US‑backed raids and ties to former President Nicolás Maduro, as the US has been targeting drug‑ferrying boats and the gang’s expansive network across Latin America. While the US claims legitimacy, critics question the legality and the lack of evidence of drug shipment aboard targeted vessels.
President Donald T. Trump released a short video on Truth Social showing the aftermath of a US‑backed strike that killed Héctor Guerrero Flores, the long‑time leader of the Tren de Aragua gang. Trump’s post, posted at 04:00 ET on Tuesday, described the operation as “swift and lethal” and claimed it was coordinated with Venezuelan partners.
Guerrero—commonly called “Niño Guerrero”—outlived multiple prison stints and was known for turning the Tocorón prison into a leisure complex. The gang’s reach now spans Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and even Chile, forays the US blames for drug traffic, contract killings and kidnapping. In 2023, Maduro’s regime sent 11,000 troops to retake the prison; Guerrero escaped once again.
Trump’s claim that the gang is a “foreign terrorist organisation” follows the administration’s earlier targeting of boats suspected of ferrying drugs across the Caribbean. As of now, the US does not offer evidence that the struck vessels carried contraband, spurring debate over the legality of the missions.
The latest strike signals a new chapter in the US‑Venezuela cooperation, which broadened after the 2021 arrest of then‑president Nicolás Maduro. While the US has lifted sanctions on the new Venezuelan minister Delcy Rodríguez, the alliance remains focused on disrupting Tren de Aragua’s trans‑national operations.
*Live coverage will be updated as new details emerge; readers are encouraged to share eyewitness reports via the PulseWire comment system.*
