Trump says US military strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang with help from Venezuela

Source: Associated Press

Trump says US military strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang with help from Venezuela

By WILL WEISSERT
Updated 12:10 AM EDT, June 13, 2026
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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Friday that a “swift and lethal kinetic” U.S. strike has killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, whom he called “the infamous leader” of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Tren de Aragua has been labeled by the United States as a terrorist organization. Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes, including lending support to terrorists in crimes that stretched more than a decade, authorities announced in December.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X that the strike occurred earlier in the week on a Tren de Aragua compound in Venezuela.

U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton said at the time that the gang is responsible for countless acts of violence, extortion and drug trafficking in North America, South America and Europe. Trump nominated Clayton on Thursday to be director of national intelligence.

The U.S. State Department had offered rewards of up to $5 million for information leading to Guerrero Flores’ arrest.

In a post on his social media site, Trump wrote,

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-tren-de-aragua-gang-venezuela-344db66dfac87df7ca93d57ea77cd520