The leader of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization was killed in a coordinated operation with the U.S. in southern Venezuela, the two countries announced yesterday (local time).

In yet another sign of the recent resumption of cooperation between Washington and Caracas, the death of Héctor Rustenford Guerrero Flores, known as Ninio Guerrero, was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and subsequently confirmed by the Venezuelan government.

“As part of a coordinated operation” with the U.S., “organized crime structures” in the southern part of the country, the Venezuelan Ministry of Communications said in a statement. “Clashes occurred with members of these criminal structures, during which Hector Rustenford Guerrero Flores, known as Nino Guerrero, was neutralized.”

Tren de Aragua, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., was originally formed in Venezuela and expanded its operations to other Latin American countries —particularly in Colombia, Peru, and Chile. It is accused, among other things, of human trafficking, kidnappings, rapes, drug trafficking, and murders.

As Trump noted in a post on Truth Social, the U.S. military command responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean (U.S. Southern Command or SOUTHCOM) launched an airstrike to eliminate “Niní Guerrero, the notorious leader of Tren de Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist organizations on the planet.”

The military operation, Trump noted, “was closely coordinated with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we work very well. As a result, the Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have a safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else.”

“We will find these ruthless murderers and drug lords wherever and whenever, and we will send them to the depths of hell where they belong,” promised the U.S. president.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegesez stated in a post on X that the operation took place earlier this week and that “Guerrero’s death was confirmed during this strike.”

The U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for any information leading to his capture.