Héctor Rustherford Guerrero Flores, alias ‘Warrior Boy’the leader of the transnational criminal organization Aragua Train for whom the United States offered a reward of five million dollars, fell under the shadow of Washington’s tutelage over Caracas during an attack by the US Southern Command “closely” coordinated with Venezuela.
The death of the “Warrior Boy”, who has become one of the most wanted criminals in South America, was announced by the US president, Donald Trump, on his social network Truth, after rumors in the South American country that linked an operation in a mining area in the state Bolivar (south) with the search for Warrior.
This event occurs five months after the capture of Nicolas Maduro by the United States, which accused the Chavista leader’s government of cooperating with the criminal organization Aragua Train, linked to extortion, kidnappings, trafficking and human trafficking.
42 years oldhad been a fugitive since 2023, after an operation by the Venezuelan authorities in the Tocorón prisonconsidered the base of operations of the Aragua Trainan organization that spread its tentacles throughout Latin America until reaching the United States, where it was classified as terrorist by the Administration of trump.
Washington accused him of transforming the Tren de Aragua from a prison gang focused on extortion and bribery into a criminal organization with continental reach. which represents a threat to public safety throughout America. For this reason, On July 17 of last year, it announced sanctions against Guerrero and five other members of that group.
From 2024, The State Department offered a reward of five million dollars for information leading to the capture of this fugitive who, according to InSight Crime, entered crime in 2000, when he attacked police officers in his home state of Aragua (center) and became involved in “micro-trafficking businesses.”
Venezuela confirms the escape of Niño Guerrero from the Tocorón prison.
Venezuela had also announced a reward, although without specifying an amount, after the operation deployed in 2023 at the facilities of stumpwhere Guerrero was serving a sentence of more than 17 years in prison which was imposed on him in 2018 for the commission of twelve crimes, including intentional homicide, concealment of a weapon of war and others.
According to InSight Crime, the ‘Warrior Boy’ was in command of the Aragua Train since approximately 2015. The organization had already existed in this state before, but that year the now deceased appeared at a party as the leader of the band “and “He assured that it would improve living conditions for residents.”
“A year later, Niño Guerrero appeared before a court in (the city of) Maracay, where he was accused of several murders, multiple robberies of residences, possession of weapons, drug trafficking. (…) In February 2018, Guerrero accepted the crimes accused of him and was sentenced to 17 years in prison,” InSight Crime claims on its website.
The criminal leader, born on December 2, 1983, He was detained on at least two occasions before this convictionbut he had escaped. According to the organization’s data, Guerrero was on the radar of the authorities after attacking a police commission and murdering an Aragua Police official.
Members of the Bolivarian National Police stand guard at the Tocorón prison in Tocorón, Aragua state, Venezuela. (Photo by YURI CORTEZ / AFP)
/ YURI CORTEZ
He lived in Tocorón prison surrounded “by luxuries and exorbitant tastes” in a “two-story house inside the prison, where he received any visitors he wanted” and “had access to a swimming pool, a baseball field, a nightclub and even a zoo,” says InSight Crime.
After the alleged dismantling of the gang during the prison intervention in 2023, The security agencies of the Venezuelan State published an image on social networks with photographs of Guerrerohis name and identification document number, as well as the crimes for which he was wanted: homicide, kidnapping and terrorism.
Nicolás Maduro said at that time that he was coordinating with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile a “search, pursuit and capture operation” of escapees from the penitentiary center, although he did not specify the number of escapees.
Last December, the deposed president insisted that this gang was defeated and indicated that they disappeared “with the law and the Constitution in hand”, after the intervention in the Tocorón prison.
But countries such as Colombia, Chile and Peru have reported the capture of people they link to this gang, which has reinforced the complaint that the criminal structure continues to operate outside Venezuela.
