Héctor Rustherford Guerrero Flores, the leader of the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua, for whom the US offered a reward of five million dollars, was killed during an attack by the US Southern Command coordinated “closely” with Venezuela.

The death of the criminal, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” was announced by President Donald Trump on Truth Social, after rumors in Venezuela linked an operation in a mining area in the state of Bolívar with the search for Guerrero.

This event occurs five months after the capture of Nicolás Maduro by the United States, which accused the Chavista leader's government of cooperating with the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, linked to extortion, kidnappings, human trafficking and trafficking.

“Niño Guerrero”, 42 years old, had been a fugitive since 2023, after an operation by the Venezuelan authorities in the Tocorón prison, considered the base of operations for the Aragua Train, an organization that spread its tentacles throughout Latin America until reaching the United States, where it was classified as terrorist by the Trump Administration itself.

Washington accused him of transforming the Tren de Aragua from a prison gang focused on extortion and bribery into a criminal organization with continental reach that represents a threat to public safety throughout America.

For this reason, on July 17 of last year it announced sanctions against Guerrero and five other members of that group.

Since 2024, the State Department has offered a reward of five million dollars for information leading to the capture of this fugitive who, according to InSight Crime, entered crime in 2000, when he attacked police officers in his home state of Aragua and became involved in “micro-trafficking businesses.”

Life of the “Warrior Boy”

Venezuela had also announced a reward, although without specifying an amount, after the operation deployed in 2023 at the Tocorón facilities, where Guerrero was serving a sentence of more than 17 years in prison that was imposed on him in 2018 for the commission of twelve crimes, including intentional homicide, concealment of a weapon of war and others.

According to InSight Crime, “Niño Guerrero” was in charge of the Tren de Aragua since approximately 2015. The organization had already existed in this state before, but that year the now deceased appeared at a party as the leader of the gang “and assured that he would improve living conditions for the residents.”

The criminal leader, born on December 2, 1983, was detained on at least two occasions before this sentence, but had escaped. According to data from InSight Crime, Guerrero was on the authorities' radar after attacking a police commission and murdering an Aragua Police official.

He lived in the Tocorón prison surrounded “by luxuries and exorbitant tastes” in a “two-story house inside the prison, where he received any visitors he wanted” and “had access to a swimming pool, baseball field, discotheque and even a zoo,” says InSight Crime.

After the alleged dismantling of the gang during the prison intervention in 2023, the security agencies of the Venezuelan State published on social networks an image with photographs of Guerrero, his name and identification document number, as well as the crimes for which he was wanted: homicide, kidnapping and terrorism.

Nicolás Maduro said at that time that he was coordinating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile a “search, pursuit and capture operation” of escapees from the penitentiary center, although he did not specify the number of escapees.

Last December, the deposed president insisted that this gang was defeated and indicated that they disappeared "with the law and the Constitution in hand", after the intervention in the Tocorón prison.

But countries such as Colombia, Chile and Peru have reported the capture of people they link to this gang, which has reinforced the complaint that the criminal structure continues to operate outside Venezuela.

With EFE information.