Trump says US strike killed Venezuelan gang leader linked to Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray murders
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump announced on Friday, June 12, that a US military strike in Venezuela killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero,” the alleged leader of the Venezuela-based gang Tren de Aragua.
The operation, according to Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, was carried out by US Southern Command and coordinated with Venezuelan authorities. Trump also referenced the cases of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray while describing the operation as an act of “retribution” for victims and their families.
US strike targets longtime Tren de Aragua leader
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said US forces had conducted a “swift and lethal kinetic strike” that “successfully execute[d] Niño Guerrero,” whom he described as the leader of Tren de Aragua.
Trump framed the operation as part of a broader effort to dismantle criminal networks operating across the Western Hemisphere, saying Tren de Aragua members “no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.”
“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.” - President DONALD J. TRUMP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3R5IPxhPXX
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 13, 2026
Guerrero Flores had been wanted by US authorities for years. Federal prosecutors in New York charged him in December 2025 with racketeering conspiracy and other offenses. The State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his arrest.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: President Trump says the U.S. military conducted a strike killing "the infamous leader" of the Tren de Aragua gang, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores.
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) June 13, 2026
It has been labeled a terror organization and the strike reportedly was in cooperation with Venezuela.
More… pic.twitter.com/V089TOIkGp
US officials allege Guerrero transformed Tren de Aragua from a prison-based group operating out of Venezuela’s Tocorón Prison into a transnational criminal organization with a presence across Latin America and the United States.
Laken Riley and Nungaray cases brought renewed attention to gang
Trump cited the deaths of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley and 12-year-old Houston resident Jocelyn Nungaray while announcing the operation against Guerrero Flores
Investigators and court records have linked individuals accused in both cases to Tren de Aragua. In Riley’s case, the suspect Jose Ibarra was identified as a documented member of the gang, along with at least one of his brothers. Riley was killed while jogging near the University of Georgia campus in February 2024.
In Houston, search warrants obtained by investigators in the Jocelyn Nungaray case alleged that suspects Johan Jose Martinez-Rangel and Franklin Jose Pena Ramos displayed symbols, social media activity, and identifiers associated with Tren de Aragua. Both men face capital murder charges.
The cases helped fuel support for the Laken Riley Act, which mandates federal detention for certain noncitizens accused of specified crimes.
Trump wrote that the strike delivered justice for “the precious 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, 22-year-old Laken Riley, and countless other beautiful souls,” while criticizing the Biden administration’s border policies.
Strike follows ongoing US criminal cases involving gang members
While Guerrero’s reported death removes the alleged leader of Tren de Aragua, criminal cases in the US involving individuals accused of ties to the gang continue to move through the courts independently. The cases involving Riley and Nungaray remain active within the US judicial system.
The latest strike is the most high-profile action yet in that effort and underscores the administration’s continued focus on transnational gangs as a central component of its immigration and security strategy.
