WASHINGTON – In a formal announcement made Friday, former U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that a targeted, rapid and heavily lethal kinetic military operation carried out by American forces has eliminated Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the man the White House identifies as the top leader of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.
The violent criminal organization, which has expanded its operations across borders in recent years, has already received an official designation as a terrorist organization from the U.S. government. This designation opens the door to broader law enforcement and national security tools to counter the group’s activities.
As far back as December, U.S. law enforcement authorities made public that Guerrero Flores had been indicted by a federal court in New York. The charges filed against him include racketeering conspiracy alongside a string of additional criminal offenses. Among these counts is the allegation that he provided material support to terrorist activities, with a criminal trajectory linked to these offenses extending back more than 10 years.