He was considered one of the most dangerous individuals in Venezuela. For this reason, the US State Department had placed a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.
Héctor Stanford Guerrero Flores, commonly known as “Nino Guerrero,” was believed to be the leader of the criminal organization “Tren de Aragua.”
This is an organized criminal group that originated in the South American country and expanded its operations across several Latin American countries and into the United States.
On Friday, US President Donald Trump announced the death of Guerrero.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform, the president said that the US Southern Command carried out a “swift and lethal” strike that was “successfully executed.”
According to Trump, the operation was carried out in coordination with the Venezuelan government, although he did not clarify where or when it took place.
The president said, “As a result, the terrorists of Tren de Aragua no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.”
What did the Venezuelan government say?
The Venezuelan government issued a statement on Friday saying that its security agencies and US forces had conducted a “joint operation” in the southeastern region of Bolívar state to dismantle organized criminal structures active in the area.
The statement said that during the operation, clashes took place with members of these criminal networks, in which Héctor Stanford Guerrero Flores, also known as Nino Guerrero and described as the head of a criminal organization, was killed.
It added that the operation was carried out with special technical support and through cooperation and intelligence sharing between the security authorities of both countries.
A video included in President Trump’s Truth Social post shows a missile striking a building, which is then engulfed in flames.
Trump wrote: “Under my orders, the US Southern Command carried out a swift and lethal strike to eliminate ‘Nino Guerrero,’ the notorious leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the world’s most violent terrorist organizations.”
The caption of the video shows an alleged airstrike where a green building and a nearby shed are seen exploding.
President Trump said the operation was carried out in close coordination with “our friends in Venezuela,” with whom, he said, the US is working very well.
He added that, as a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven anywhere, and under his leadership they will be tracked down and sent “to the depths of hell.”
Héctor Guerrero Flores was born and raised in Maracay, the capital of Aragua state in central northern Venezuela.
According to public reports from Venezuela’s Supreme Court, he entered the world of crime in the early 2000s.
In 2005, he was accused of shooting a police officer who later died.
Authorities arrested him in 2010 and sent him to Tocorón prison southwest of Caracas on charges of drug trafficking, murder, and robbery.
In April 2025, 27 suspected members of Tren de Aragua were arrested in the United States and charged with various crimes, according to New York authorities.
However, two years later they managed to escape and became involved in criminal activities again, making him one of Venezuela’s most wanted criminals.
He was re-arrested in 2013 and transferred back to Tocorón prison.
In 2018, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for drug trafficking, identity fraud, and illegal possession of weapons, among other crimes.
According to criminology professor Luis Ezequiel at the Central University of Venezuela, Tren de Aragua began more than a decade ago as a labor union connected to a railway construction project passing through Aragua state.
He told BBC Mundo in 2025 that members of the group extorted contractors, sold jobs in construction projects, and became known as “the Tren de Aragua people.” Some were imprisoned in Tocorón jail, which they later used to organize the group.
After that, Tren de Aragua expanded internationally, spreading to countries such as Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil, and Panama.
In September 2023, Venezuelan authorities claimed they had completely dismantled the group’s network inside the prison.
At that time, the Venezuelan Ministry of Interior announced a reward for Guerrero. Several South American countries were also searching for Nino Guerrero.
In early 2025, the US government designated several Mexican cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations,” and included Tren de Aragua in the list.
During the Biden administration, the group was also added to the list of international criminal organizations after its suspected members were identified in 16 US states.
In December 2025, Nino Guerrero was indicted in a federal court in New York on charges including conspiracy to commit extortion and supporting terrorist activities.
Federal prosecutor Jay Clayton said the organization was responsible for multiple violent acts, extortion, and drug trafficking across North America, South America, and Europe.