The United States has killed a top leader of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang in a precision airstrike, sources confirm. The operation, carried out in a remote region of Venezuela, targeted Carlos ‘El Diablo’ Rodriguez, the group’s second-in-command, who was wanted for drug trafficking, extortion and multiple murders across Latin America. The British government has voiced its support, with a Foreign Office spokesperson stating: “The UK applauds this decisive counter-terror action.
The Tren de Aragua represents a direct threat to our national security, and we stand with our allies in dismantling these networks.” Uncovered documents from intelligence agencies reveal that Rodriguez was responsible for coordinating the gang’s cocaine shipments to Europe, including seizures in UK ports last year. The airstrike follows months of surveillance and a covert operation by US Special Forces, authorised by the White House.
No civilian casualties have been reported, but local sources in the border state of Apure say the strike destroyed a makeshift compound used as a training camp. This is not the first time the US has taken direct action against foreign gangs, but it marks an escalation in the Trump administration’s renewed war on cartels. The Tren de Aragua, once a prison gang, has evolved into a transnational criminal enterprise with operations in Colombia, Peru and Chile.
Its reach extends into Europe, where UK authorities have linked the group to a rise in county lines drug trafficking. The Home Office declined to comment on specific operational details, but a senior official confirmed that the UK has been sharing intelligence with US counterparts for months. Human rights groups have raised concerns about extrajudicial killings, but US officials insist the strike was lawful and necessary.
“This was a combatant, not a civilian,” a Pentagon source told me. “He was directly involved in planning attacks on our interests.” The airstrike comes as the US and UK deepen their security partnership in Latin America, with both nations supplying training and equipment to local forces.
But questions remain about the long-term strategy: Will killing leaders truly weaken the Tren de Aragua, or will new figures simply step into the void? For now, the body count is one, and the applause from London is loud. But the money trail, as always, leads deeper into the shadows.
