In New York, federal officials have revealed charges against the head of the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, accusing him of numerous violent offenses while he continues to lead this infamous criminal network.

Known by various aliases including “Niño Guerrero,” “El Cejón,” and “El Innombrable,” Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores faces several charges from the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York. These charges encompass involvement in a racketeering conspiracy, conspiring to support terrorist activities, a cocaine importation conspiracy, and possession of firearms, machine guns, and explosives linked to drug trafficking.

Guerrero Flores remains at large as the leader of Tren De Aragua, a gang recognized as a foreign terrorist organization.

Federal prosecutors unveiled an indictment on Wednesday claiming that Guerrero Flores has orchestrated numerous violent acts for over ten years. These acts, carried out by gang members, include murder, extortion, kidnapping, and sex trafficking across the United States, South America, and Central America.

Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as “Niño Guerrero,” is identified as the notorious leader of Tren de Aragua. (U.S. Department of the Treasury)

“As alleged, Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organization that committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “In the Southern District of New York, we have now charged over 30 members or associates of Tren de Aragua with federal crimes, and we are committed to bankrupting the cartels and transnational gangs who flood our streets with deadly drugs and pursue death, violence and corruption as a way of life.” 

Prosecutors allege Guerrero Flores looked to maintain territorial dominance within Venezuela, leading TdA to later establish a strong gang presence throughout other South American countries and later infiltrating countries such as Europe, Spain, Mexico and Brazil.

In this handout photo provided by the Salvadoran government, guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT prison on March 16, 2025, in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The Trump administration deported 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organizations ‘Tren De Aragua’ and MS-13. (Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)

TdA members allegedly entered the United States to build a presence in various parts of the country, including New York, Florida, New Mexico, Texas, Nebraska, Illinois and Colorado, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 

Federal authorities also allege that under Guerrero Flores’ leadership, TdA members worked alongside some of the world’s largest narcotics traffickers to import tons of cocaine into the United States using maritime drug distribution routes, while also selling firearms to large-scale traffickers operating out of Venezuela. 

“Guerrero Flores both directed and personally facilitated the transportation of this cocaine by supplying teams of heavily armed individuals to protect and transport cocaine shipments for his trafficking partners and associates.,” federal prosecutors said in a press release. “These individuals were armed with, among other automatic weapons, AK-47s, MP5s, and AR-15s, as well as grenades.”

Salvadoran police officers escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua recently deported by the U.S. government to be imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in this handout image obtained March 16, 2025.  (Secretaria de Prensa de la Presidencia/Handout via Reuters)

The case against Guerrero Flores is part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Take Back America,” which aims to expel cartels and transnational criminal organizations from the country, while also cracking down on illegal immigration to protect citizens from violent crime. 

If captured and convicted, Guerrero Flores faces the possibility of life in prison.

“Guerrero Flores operated Tren de Aragua like a multinational crime syndicate — laundering money through cryptocurrency, trafficking drugs by the ton, selling weapons of war, and orchestrating acts of terror across borders,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Louis A. D’Ambrosio in a statement.  

“He ran this empire from prison, shielded by corruption, and in collaboration with a narco-state cartel intent on flooding the United States with cocaine.  This case exemplifies today’s threat: criminal organizations that function like terrorists and terrorize like insurgents. DEA and our partners are dismantling them piece by piece — targeting their leadership, finances, weapons, and networks,” he added.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.