Who is Niño Guerrero, head of Tren de Aragua killed in US and Venezuelan operation

Notice released by the Venezuelan government offering a reward for information on Héctor Guerrero
ACCOUNT FROM THE MINISTRY OF PEOPLE POWER FOR INTERNAL RELATIONS IN VENEZUELA
A joint operation between the United States and Venezuela resulted in the death of Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as "Niño Guerrero", identified as the main leader of the Venezuelan transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua. The information was confirmed and released this Friday (12) by authorities in both countries.
According to American President Donald Trump, the US Southern Command organized a quick and lethal attack. The Venezuelan government confirmed that it also participated in the operation, carried out in the southeast of the state of Bolívar, and reported that Guerrero was "neutralized" in clashes with criminal groups.
Below, see what is known about Guerrero.
Born in 1983 in Maracay, capital of the state of Aragua, Guerrero began his "career" in crime in the early 2000s with petty crimes and robberies. In 2005, he attacked a police station and killed Corporal Oswaldo González.
He was arrested in 2010 for drug trafficking, murder and robbery, and was sent to Tocorón prison. Guerrero escaped from prison in 2012, becoming one of Venezuela's most wanted criminals, until he was recaptured in 2013 and returned to the same unit.
In February 2018, he was formally sentenced to 17 years in prison for crimes such as murder, drug trafficking, identity theft and concealment of weapons of war, but he did not serve the entire sentence.
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Prison command with hotel luxuries
Even behind bars, Niño Guerrero continued to head the Tren de Aragua. He boosted the expansion of the faction to make it one of the largest criminal organizations in Latin America, taking advantage of the migratory flow generated by the Venezuelan economic crisis.
During the years he was in control of the Aragua Penitentiary Center (Tocorón prison), the place gained an infrastructure built under his command that was comparable to that of a luxury hotel.
The structure had:
swimming pool, nightclub and casino;
playground and baseball stadium;
bars, drinks stores and restaurants with terraces;
ATMs;
pig and chicken farms;
a zoo that displayed animals such as jaguars, pumas and ostriches.
In 2023, Venezuelan authorities carried out a mega military operation to try to regain control of the prison. During the action, war arsenals (including grenades, rocket launchers and explosives) were found, as well as secret tunnels to the outside. Guerrero managed to escape at the time.
At the time, journalist and researcher Ronna Rísquez, author of a book about the faction, warned that the intervention in the prison did not mean the dismantling of the organization.
US lawsuits and political connections
In December 2025, Donald Trump's administration formally charged Guerrero in a Manhattan federal court with crimes including racketeering conspiracy, terrorism, drug importation and firearms-related crimes.
The US Department of Justice offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture. Furthermore, the leader of Tren de Aragua is listed as a defendant in the same federal case in New York that involves Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.
The case also brings as defendants Maduro's wife (Cilia Flores), the Venezuelan Interior Minister (Diosdado Cabello) and one of the Venezuelan ruler's sons

Source: G1