President Trump announced Saturday that U.S. Southern Command, working with Venezuelan security forces, eliminated Niño Guerrero in a strike on a gang compound in Bolivar state earlier this week.
The leader faced U.S. charges for
racketeering, terrorism support, and drug conspiracy, with a $5 million bounty
on his head; Trump connected the action to Tren de Aragua crimes in the U.S.,
including the killings of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray in Houston and nursing
student Laken Riley in Georgia.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Southcom's Gen. Francis L. Donovan praised the collaboration, while Trump vowed to pursue remaining leaders anywhere. Republicans celebrated the strike as justice for American victims and a step against transnational gangs.