A powerful explosion shook the town of Las Claritas in Venezuela's Bolívar state on 9 June, killing Héctor Guerrero Flores, leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, in a joint US-Venezuela operation. However, details remain scarce, and experts doubt the strike will significantly disrupt the drug trade or organised crime in the region.
Details of the Operation Remain Unclear
The blast at 10am was so intense that it rattled houses 10 kilometres away, according to a miner who spoke on condition of anonymity. Helicopters circled overhead immediately after, but days passed with little official information. Then Donald Trump posted a video on social media claiming it showed the assassination of Guerrero, also known as Niño Guerrero.
The aerial footage resembled US strikes on drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific, but this operation occurred on Venezuelan soil, within the illegal open-pit mines of the Orinoco Mining Arc. The joint action marks a significant shift in US-Venezuela relations, coming less than six months after US forces captured former leader Nicolás Maduro.
US Expansion of Military Strikes
Bram Ebus, a consultant for the International Crisis Group, described the operation as an inflexion point. “We’ve seen US forces targeting alleged drug-trafficking vessels, but this is within the terrestrial boundaries of a country. And joint action with the US is massively symbolic for a country whose government rhetoric for decades had been about rallying against Washington,” Ebus said.
The strike signals an expansion of US military attacks on criminal groups across the region, following strikes on drug boats and joint operations in Ecuador. Trump has also pushed for similar actions in Mexico.
Mining Interests May Be a Factor
The Orinoco Mining Arc holds vast deposits of gold, rare earths, and critical minerals like nickel, copper, bauxite, and coltan. Since January, Venezuela has passed mining reforms to attract foreign private capital, and the US has issued licenses for transactions involving Venezuelan gold. Canadian and US companies Crystallex and Gold Reserve, whose concessions were expropriated under Hugo Chávez, are seeking to return.
Américo de Grazia, a former national assembly member for Bolívar state, suspects the operation was intended to clear the area for these companies. “I suspect the origin of this latest operation is that the United States wants the area cleared for Gold Reserve and Crystallex so they can regain control of the region,” De Grazia said.
Impact on Crime and Revenge Attacks
Despite the strike, experts believe it will do little to reduce organised crime. Cristina Burelli, founder of SOS Orinoco, estimates there are 15 to 20 armed criminal groups in the mining arc. “Getting rid of one guy does absolutely nothing to change the situation,” Burelli said. Last week, the police chief of Las Claritas was found dead, killed by his own gun, which Burelli sees as a sign of revenge by Tren de Aragua members.
The Venezuelan army remains deeply involved in illegal economies, making it difficult to dismantle organised crime networks. “Southern Venezuela is still an investor’s nightmare,” Ebus said.
Verification and Civilian Impact
Authorities have yet to provide proof of Guerrero's death, and it is unknown whether other gang members were targeted or if civilians were killed or injured. “Trusted sources tell us that the leaders fled to Guyana, but we don’t know for sure,” said another miner from El Dorado. Burelli added: “We have heard reports of a lot of wounded people, some dead. But really, there’s no information. It’s unbelievable.”
The precise nature of US involvement remains unclear. Trump said the US “delivered” the strike, while US media report that the CIA supplied intelligence and the missile may have been launched by Joint Special Operations Command. This would mark the second US military action in Venezuela, this time in cooperation with the same regime previously accused of protecting Tren de Aragua.
