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  • St Catherine man charged with murder following death of fiancée

    St Catherine man charged with murder following death of fiancée

    A horrific domestic incident in St Catherine, Jamaica, has left a 29-year-old woman dead and her 51-year-old fiancé facing formal murder charges, local law enforcement has confirmed.

    Paul Stephenson, who also goes by the alias ‘Pablo’ and resides at Sunset Crescent in New Harbour Village I, Old Harbour, was taken into police custody following the violent altercation that unfolded at his residence on Saturday, May 9. The victim, identified as Tieah Singh, was a resident of Francis Avenue in Clarendon.

    According to initial police reports, the conflict erupted between the couple at approximately 10 a.m. that morning. As the argument escalated, Stephenson allegedly injected Singh with an undetermined toxic substance and also deployed pepper spray directly into her face, according to witness and investigative accounts.

    Immediately after the attack, Singh began experiencing severe adverse reactions to the toxic exposure. She was rushed quickly to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment and was admitted in critical condition.

    Initially, Stephenson was taken into custody and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, as Singh remained hospitalized. However, when Singh ultimately succumbed to her injuries days after the attack, prosecutors moved to upgrade the charge against the suspect to the more severe offense of murder.

    As of the latest update from law enforcement, court proceedings for Stephenson are still being arranged, with a formal hearing date expected to be announced in the coming days. The investigation into the exact type of toxic substance used and the full sequence of events leading up to the argument remains ongoing.

  • Jamaican property sales near $100 billion in 2025, says RAJ

    Jamaican property sales near $100 billion in 2025, says RAJ

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Fresh data compiled by the Realtors Association of Jamaica (RAJ) through its industry-leading Multiple Listing Service (MLS) has painted a surprisingly resilient picture of the country’s real estate sector, showing the market generated a staggering J$99.3 billion in total property sales across 2025. This robust performance comes even after the widespread economic disruption caused by Hurricane Melissa, defying broader expectations of a slowdown across the sector.

    Analysis of the aggregated MLS data shows that three parishes — St Andrew, St Ann and St Catherine — accounted for the overwhelming majority of total 2025 sales activity, with growth driven by two complementary forces: strong urban residential demand and sustained tourism-linked investment. The results cement real estate’s long-standing role as a core pillar of Jamaica’s national economic growth.

    Roger Allen, RAJ Second Vice-President and chair of the MLS Committee, outlined the dual-market dynamic shaping current industry trends. “On one hand, we have high-volume urban markets serving local homebuyers and commercial users, and on the other, high-value, tourism-focused parishes that deliver strong returns even with far fewer total transactions,” Allen explained.

    Breaking down 2025 parish-by-parish performance, St Andrew claimed the top spot nationally, pulling in J$41.17 billion across 1,727 recorded transactions — leading the country in both total revenue and transaction volume. St Ann followed closely behind with J$27.36 billion in sales, with growth propelled entirely by surging tourism-related investment in vacation properties and resort-adjacent developments. St Catherine generated J$11.71 billion across 700 transactions, a figure that reflects the parish’s ongoing large-scale residential expansion to meet growing demand from urban commuters.

    Westmoreland posted J$6.86 billion in total sales from just 52 high-value transactions, signaling that most activity in the parish centers on large luxury resort and vacation home developments. St Mary recorded J$3.40 billion in sales, reflecting growing investor confidence in the area’s long-term tourism potential, while Manchester hit J$2.36 billion supported by steady, consistent residential activity. St Thomas was the weakest-performing parish in 2025, recording just J$96.2 million in MLS-tracked sales.

    A key trend highlighted by the data is that while most parishes recorded fewer total transactions in 2025 compared to 2024, multiple parishes delivered higher total annual revenues — a clear indicator that property values are rising rapidly across Jamaica’s key high-demand markets. Among the parishes that saw higher revenues in 2025 despite lower transaction volumes were St Catherine, Westmoreland, St Ann and St Mary. Even St Andrew, which retained its national lead, recorded a small year-over-year decline in both transaction volume and total revenue compared to 2024 figures.

    “St Andrew’s dominance in the market is not surprising, but the scale of its lead over other parishes remains significant,” Allen noted. “The Corporate Area continues to act as the undisputed engine of Jamaican real estate activity. The bigger question moving forward is how we can unlock sustained, inclusive growth across other parishes that have not seen the same level of activity.”

    The 2025 MLS data also reinforces a long-observed connection between public infrastructure investment and property value appreciation across the island. “Highway expansion and targeted urban development projects consistently lift surrounding land values and accelerate both residential and commercial growth,” Allen explained. Areas that have recently benefited from upgraded road networks, expanded public utilities, new schools and hospitals, and increased commercial development — including Kingston, St Andrew, St Catherine, St James and sections of Clarendon — continue to draw strong buyer interest and steady investment inflows.

    Beyond property sales, the Jamaican rental market also posted solid gains in 2025, generating J$772 million in tracked rental revenue between January and December. St Andrew, St Catherine and St Ann led all parishes in total annual rental revenue, while Westmoreland recorded the fastest growth rate in the rental segment. This trend underscores rising demand for short-term vacation rentals and long-term second home rentals in popular resort regions across the island.

    It is important to note that the MLS figures are compiled from voluntary transaction reports submitted by roughly 2,000 registered realtors operating across Jamaica. The current dataset does not include direct sales from property developers or private transactions that are not processed through the MLS system.

    Allen emphasized that the granular MLS data serves a much broader purpose than just tracking industry performance, providing critical insights for national economic planning. “Our MLS platform delivers real-time visibility into pricing trends, shifting buyer demand, persistent inventory shortages and changing transaction patterns across the country,” he said. “This information is critical for identifying underserved housing markets, persistent affordability gaps, and the infrastructure investments that will deliver the greatest long-term economic return.”

    According to Allen, these insights can be leveraged to shape more effective national housing strategies and unlock targeted growth in parishes that have historically been underrepresented in national real estate activity.

  • Government Raises Fuel Prices by Between RD$3.00 and RD$6.00

    Government Raises Fuel Prices by Between RD$3.00 and RD$6.00

    On Friday, authorities in the Dominican Republic implemented a new round of fuel price adjustments that will take effect across the country from June 13 through June 19, official data from the nation’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and MSMEs (MICM) confirms. The regulatory body confirmed modest to moderate price increases for the country’s most widely used transportation and industrial fuels, with hikes ranging between 3 Dominican pesos (RD$3.00) and RD$6.00 per gallon, depending on the fuel grade.

    For the country’s most popular gasoline categories, premium-grade gasoline will see the largest adjustment, jumping RD$6.00 per gallon to reach a new retail price of RD$341.10. Standard regular gasoline will see a smaller RD$3.00 increase, bringing the new weekly price to RD$313.50 per gallon.

    Diesel, a critical fuel for the Dominican Republic’s freight, logistics and agricultural sectors, will follow a similar pattern to gasoline. Higher-grade premium diesel will match the premium gasoline increase of RD$6.00 per gallon, settling at a new retail rate of RD$293.10, while regular diesel will see a RD$3.00 uptick to RD$262.80 per gallon.

    In a move that will provide relief to household budgets, the government opted to leave the prices of two commonly used residential energy sources unchanged. Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a primary fuel for cooking and home heating across much of the country, will remain stable at RD$137.20 per gallon. Natural gas, used for both residential and commercial energy needs, will also hold steady at RD$43.97 per cubic meter for the upcoming week.

    Weekly fuel price adjustments are a standard regulatory practice in the Dominican Republic, allowing the government to align domestic retail prices with shifting global crude oil markets and transportation costs.

  • Cash flow forecasting in minutes, not days — with Claude, even when the JMD/USD rate won’t sit still

    Cash flow forecasting in minutes, not days — with Claude, even when the JMD/USD rate won’t sit still

    For Jamaican importers and business owners, sleepless nights are rarely caused by slow sales. Instead, the biggest headache stems from the foreign exchange gap that eats into potential profits: paying overseas suppliers in US dollars upfront, while waiting 60 days or more for local customers to settle invoices in Jamaican dollars. When the JMD-USD exchange rate shifts unfavorably during that waiting period, a deal that looked profitable on paper quickly turns into a loss. This is a pervasive challenge for small, open economies where costs are often tied to a global reserve currency, while revenue is generated in local tender. Exchange rate volatility does not wait for business owners to adjust, and static cash flow forecasts built on last month’s rates become obsolete almost as soon as they are saved. While no technology can fix volatile exchange rates, artificial intelligence is transforming how small finance teams assess risk and prepare for multiple future outcomes before they unfold. This week’s edition of the weekly *AI in Finance & Business* column explores Claude, Anthropic’s AI assistant that now integrates directly into Microsoft Excel, a tool that remains the backbone of financial work for most Jamaican businesses. Unlike the previous column’s deep dive into ChatGPT for Google Sheets, Claude is built for heavy-duty financial modeling and risk analysis, making it a particularly strong fit for managing currency exposure. Claude is far more than a simple chatbot tacked onto the side of your spreadsheet. It can parse an entire workbook, map the connections between different tabs, audit existing formulas for errors, and run multiple sensitivity analyses simultaneously – the exact function that matters most for businesses navigating currency risk. Users input requests in plain English, and Claude handles the entire spreadsheet workflow automatically. Before getting started, there is one key practical detail: the Claude Excel add-in is only available to users with a paid Anthropic subscription, with no free tier offered. Installation is straightforward: users can find it in the official Excel add-ins store, add it to their desktop app with one click, and sign in to their existing paid account to activate it. The traditional approach to cash flow forecasting for currency risk forces teams to build one static model with a single exchange rate assumption, then cross their fingers that the prediction holds. Adjusting for a new rate requires hours of manual formula edits, so most small teams only ever model one expected future, leaving them blind to downside risks. Claude collapses that entire process from an afternoon of work into just a few minutes. A user can open their existing workbook and prompt Claude to “build a 13-week cash flow forecast with columns for USD payables and JMD receivables, and set the exchange rate in a single editable cell.” From there, they can ask for a full sensitivity analysis: “show me the lowest weekly cash balance if the exchange rate moves between 2% stronger to 5% weaker against the JMD.” In seconds, rather than days, business owners get a full range of potential outcomes instead of one unreliable static forecast. Purpose-built forecasting tools can complement Claude’s capabilities to create a more robust system. Platforms like Float integrate directly with popular accounting software such as QuickBooks and Xero, pulling in live transaction data automatically to generate rolling forecasts that update as invoices get paid. In this setup, Claude handles the complex “what if” modeling, while Float keeps the core underlying financial data current. For businesses with steady transaction volume, forecasts are never more than 24 hours out of date. To put this workflow in context, consider a mid-sized Jamaican manufacturer with a large USD payment due in three weeks. Under the old system, answering the question “will we have enough cash to cover this payment?” would take two full days of number crunching. Today, the treasury officer can open their existing Excel model, ask Claude “what is our lowest cash balance over the next 21 days if the JMD weakens by 3% against the USD,” and get a complete answer before their coffee gets cold. If the result shows a potential cash shortfall, the business has three full weeks to act: they can draw on a credit facility, speed up outstanding customer collections, or delay non-essential discretionary payments. The biggest shift here is not the elimination of currency risk – that remains unavoidable for Jamaican importers. Instead, it gives business owners time to respond to risk, and allows a single team member to complete work that once required an entire small finance department. Before uploading sensitive financial data to any AI tool, security is the top priority, and Claude’s data policies have clear distinctions depending on the subscription plan a user chooses. For Anthropic’s business tier plans – Claude for Work, Team, and Enterprise – user data is never used to train Anthropic’s AI models. This protection is written into commercial terms, no confusing settings need to be adjusted, and all data is encrypted both in transit and at rest. The policy is different for personal paid plans (Pro and Max): as of late 2025, conversations from personal plans may be used for model training unless users actively opt out of data usage in their account privacy settings. For finance teams working with sensitive company data, the best practice is simple: use a Team or Enterprise plan, where data privacy is enabled by default. If you are using a personal plan, turn off model training in your privacy settings before uploading any sensitive content. Always mask personal identifiable data such as client names, employee salaries, and full bank details before uploading, just as you would avoid sharing that information with a new colleague you have not yet vetted. It is also critical to understand what Claude cannot do for your business. Claude cannot predict where the JMD-USD exchange rate will go, and any tool or person that claims to predict exchange rates with certainty is almost certainly selling a product you do not need. What Claude does excel at is fast arithmetic and scenario modeling: it takes the assumptions you provide and maps out their potential consequences. The assumptions and final business decisions still rest with the user, so always cross-check model logic, compare totals against actual bank balances, and never act on an AI-generated forecast you have not reviewed personally. For businesses interested in testing this workflow, the column outlines four simple steps to try this week: First, open Excel and ask Claude to build a 13-week cash flow forecast with a single editable exchange rate cell that updates the entire model when changed. Second, prompt Claude to run a sensitivity analysis across three core scenarios: base rate, stronger USD, and weaker USD, then compare the lowest weekly cash balance for each outcome. Third, ask Claude to automatically flag any week where your closing cash balance falls below a pre-set threshold. Fourth, if you already use QuickBooks or Xero, test an auto-sync forecasting tool like Float to pull live transaction data, then feed that updated data into your Claude model for analysis. Always remember to review all assumptions and final totals before acting on any forecast. Next week’s column will continue the series, exploring how Jamaican businesses can build an interactive financial dashboard from a single plain English prompt, turning static spreadsheets into explorable tools for managers. This article was written by Peta-Gaye Hardy, founder of PGH Consulting, LLC, a firm that helps finance and operations teams adopt AI in practical, low-risk ways. Hardy is based between Jamaica and the United States, and more information about her work can be found at www.pghconsultinggroup.com, or on Instagram @pghconsultinggroup. Disclosures: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, legal, accounting, or foreign exchange advice. Exchange rate movements are inherently uncertain and cannot be reliably predicted. The Claude Excel add-in requires a paid Claude subscription. The author holds no commercial relationship with Anthropic, Microsoft, Float, or any other product mentioned in this column, and received no compensation for this feature. Readers should always consult a qualified financial professional before making any business decisions.

  • Vaz highlights JUTC revenue surge, fleet upgrades as ridership climbs

    Vaz highlights JUTC revenue surge, fleet upgrades as ridership climbs

    KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s state-run public transit provider, the Jamaica Urban Transit Company Limited (JUTC), has delivered standout progress across key performance metrics, including revenue growth, rising passenger volumes, fleet modernization, and streamlined operations, according to Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications Daryl Vaz. Vaz shared these positive updates during a formal ministerial briefing hosted by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) on Thursday, where he zeroed in on the exceptional performance gains posted by the JUTC’s Portmore depot as a clear example of the broader turnaround.

  • From Deed to Key’ makes successful South Florida debut

    From Deed to Key’ makes successful South Florida debut

    South Florida recently played host to the first-ever From Deed to Key Investment and Housing Conference, a gathering centered on unlocking property and wealth opportunities in Jamaica that has been declared an unqualified success by its leadership.

    Built around the rallying theme “Invest in Your Piece of Di Rock”, the one-day event pulled together a cross-section of stakeholders: seasoned industry specialists, active investors, local professionals, and a large contingent of members of the Jamaican diaspora based in the United States. Attendees packed the venue, participating actively in panel discussions and breakout sessions that covered everything from navigating land purchase processes to developing long-term wealth through Jamaican real estate.

    Event founder and lead organizer Maxine Miller shared that the level of turnout and audience engagement far outpaced the team’s pre-event projections. “We intentionally curated the right group of stakeholders in the room,” Miller explained in a post-event statement. “We brought together a delegation of accomplished entrepreneurs and industry leaders who share our core vision for this conference, each with hands-on experience in their sectors relevant to Jamaican property investment.”

    The speaker lineup featured a diverse range of subject-matter experts, including real estate attorneys, land surveyors, civil engineers, renewable energy consultants, and financing specialists, alongside key diplomatic and local government figures such as Jamaica’s Consul General Oliver Mair and Miramar Vice Mayor and Commissioner Carson Edwards. Speaking during the event, experts emphasized that post-Hurricane Melissa recovery has created a unique window for transformative investment, framing the current moment as an opportunity to reset development frameworks, rebuild resilient communities, and drive renewed investment across Jamaica’s property sector.

    From its inception, the conference set clear core goals: to deliver actionable, practical guidance for Jamaicans both on the island and in the diaspora looking to navigate the full journey from acquiring land to securing homeownership. The event addressed a long-unmet need for diaspora communities, providing a structured platform for open dialogue on the most pressing barriers they face. These included regularizing title for long-held family lands, resolving disputes over inherited property, unlocking value from underused or idle real estate assets, and demystifying the regulatory and financial processes for investing in and developing property in Jamaica.

    The overwhelming success of the South Florida debut has already generated significant momentum for future editions, with inquiries flooding in from other major diaspora hubs across the United States. Miller confirmed that Jamaican community groups in Atlanta and New York have formally requested to host upcoming iterations of the conference, signaling strong unmet demand across the diaspora.

    “The level of interest we’ve received from Atlanta and New York has been incredibly encouraging,” Miller noted. “This response confirms what our team suspected: there is a clear, widespread appetite within the global Jamaican diaspora for credible, accurate information, practical solutions to common barriers, and meaningful conversation about building generational wealth through investment in Jamaica.”

    Organizers expect to confirm the location and date for the next conference staging by mid-July, with plans to expand the event’s reach to serve more diaspora communities in the coming months.

  • Police Federation faces leadership change as McBean earns promotion to ASP

    Police Federation faces leadership change as McBean earns promotion to ASP

    A leadership transition is underway at the Jamaica Police Federation, after the body’s long-serving chair Sergeant Arleen McBean earned a promotion to the senior ranks of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) as an Assistant Superintendent of Police. McBean’s elevation to the senior command brings her tenure at the helm of the representative organization for rank-and-file police officers to an end, opening a top leadership vacancy that will be filled through an upcoming selection process.

    The promotion ceremony was held Thursday at JCF Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake’s office in St Andrew, where McBean was among multiple committed law enforcement officers recognized for advancement to higher ranks. Joining her in the round of promotions were Assistant Commissioner of Police DeVaughn Colquhoun, who heads the JCF’s Supernumerary Corporate Services division, Senior Superintendents Adrian Hamilton and Arielle Brown Blake, and Superintendents Keisha Oakley and Alfred McDonald. The JCF’s senior officer corps was further expanded with promotions to Deputy Superintendent for Howard Wilks, Nicholas Shorter and Arlene Robinson Johnson, while Robert Bailey earned a promotion to Assistant Superintendent.

    In an official statement following the announcement, the Jamaica Police Federation extended its warm congratulations to the newly promoted ASP McBean. The organization highlighted McBean’s decades of distinguished service across multiple leadership roles within the federation, noting that her work has delivered irreplaceable value advancing the welfare and quality of life for both current and former rank-and-file officers.

    The federation’s statement emphasized that McBean’s consistent dedication, steadfast commitment, and unyielding advocacy for the association’s membership have garnered widespread respect and admiration from colleagues across the entire Jamaica Constabulary Force. “We wish her every success in her new role and pray for God’s continued guidance, favour, and abundant blessings as she embarks on this new chapter of service,” the statement concluded.

  • Dominican tourism journalist Cristina Rosario inducted into OMPT Hall of Honor

    Dominican tourism journalist Cristina Rosario inducted into OMPT Hall of Honor

    A historic milestone for Dominican tourism journalism has put the Caribbean nation in the global spotlight this week, as veteran industry reporter Cristina Rosario has broken barriers to become the first woman from the Dominican Republic to earn induction into the World Organization of Tourism Journalism (OMPT) Hall of Honor.

    This prestigious distinction is reserved exclusively for global tourism communication professionals whose career work has advanced the cause of responsible, sustainable, and inclusive tourism through high-quality specialized media. The award was formally presented to Rosario during the 17th International Congress of Journalists and Tourism Professionals, hosted this year in Circasia, Colombia. The gathering brought together hundreds of tourism communicators, academic researchers, and industry stakeholders from across Latin America to explore evolving challenges and opportunities for tourism messaging in the fast-changing digital age.

    With more than 20 years of experience covering global tourism and destination development, Rosario’s career is defined by a seamless blend of investigative journalism, strategic editorial production, and intentional destination promotion. Over the course of her decades-long professional journey, she has contributed deeply to leading industry tourism publications, produced authoritative destination guides, and led community and media initiatives designed to showcase the rich cultural heritage and stunning natural landscapes of the Dominican Republic to global audiences.

    Today, Rosario holds the position of editorial director at travel outlet Travellers.com, and she also serves on the board of directors for the Dominican Association of Tourism Press (Adompretur), where she oversees all tourism and cultural portfolio initiatives for the 2025–2027 term. Her professional resume includes prior senior editorial coordination roles at iconic industry publications, including *Bohío* magazine and *La Cotica*, the Dominican Republic’s official national tourism guide.

    The OMPT Hall of Honor was created to recognize journalists who have strengthened the quality and impact of global tourism communication, while upholding standards of ethical reporting and supporting the preservation of distinct cultural identities around the world. Per OMPT’s mission, the induction honor is designed to elevate professionals who leverage media platforms to build cross-cultural understanding, facilitate meaningful global exchange, and expand adoption of equitable, sustainable tourism practices.

    This latest accolade adds to a long list of career distinctions for Rosario, who already holds the Dominican Republic’s top national journalism honor in the field, the Epifanio Lantigua National Tourism Journalism Award, alongside multiple previous international recognitions from OMPT’s acclaimed Pasaporte Abierto awards program.

    With her induction, Rosario joins fellow Dominican tourism journalist Salvador Batista as one of the two Dominican representatives enshrined in the OMPT Hall of Honor, a milestone that is expected to raise the international profile of Dominican tourism journalism for years to come.

    Rosario’s induction coincided with that of Panamanian journalist Yelina Pérez Sánchez, who was also welcomed into the 2024 cohort of the OMPT Hall of Honor for her decades of impactful contributions to the field. Pérez Sánchez has built a widely respected career advancing tourism, cultural preservation, and heritage promotion through specialized media, establishing her as one of the leading voices for tourism in Panama.

  • Ralford Mullings retains discus title at NCAA Champs

    Ralford Mullings retains discus title at NCAA Champs

    EUGENE, Ore. — The 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Hayward Field delivered a historic day for Jamaican athletics Friday, as national record-holder and reigning champion Ralford Mullings of the University of Oklahoma successfully defended his men’s discus throw title in spectacular fashion.

    Competition against a stacked field of top collegiate throwers, Mullings got out to an early lead, holding the top position on the leaderboard from the very first round of throws. His lead did not go unchallenged, however: Air Force’s Texas Tanner surged past the defending champion in the middle rounds, pushing Mullings to deliver a career-level performance to retain his crown. Responding to the pressure in the fourth round, Mullings unleashed a winning throw of 65.81 meters, enough to secure his second consecutive national title and cement his status as one of the top young discus throwers in the world.

    The men’s discus event turned into a Jamaican showcase, as compatriots filled multiple top-six finishing positions. Racquel Broderick of the University of Southern California took second place overall, notching a new personal best of 64.15 meters to complete a one-two sweep for Jamaican athletes. Two more Jamaican competitors hit new lifetime best marks to finish in the top five: University of Alabama’s Christopher Young placed fifth with a throw of 62.30 meters, while Florida State University’s Shamar Reid tied Young’s mark to take sixth place. Two additional Jamaican athletes also competed in the final: Alabama’s Trevor Gunzel finished 14th with a 58.90-meter throw, and LSU’s Chad Hendricks recorded a throw of 55.40 meters to round out the Jamaican contingent.

    Jamaican athletes also turned in strong performances in other men’s events on the third day of competition, though not all claimed top spots. In the men’s 800-meter run, an upset shook up the final results: Colin Sahlman of Northern Arizona outpaced two Jamaican teammates from the University of Arkansas to take the national title. Sahlman crossed the finish line in 1:44.22, edging out Arkansas’ Tyrice Taylor, who finished second in 1:44.30. Taylor’s teammate Rivaldo Marshall took third place with a time of 1:44.93. In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Baylor University’s Demario Prince clocked a time of 13.25 seconds to secure sixth place in the national final.

    Reporting by Paul A Reid

  • Trump says US strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang

    Trump says US strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang

    In a late Friday announcement from Washington D.C., former U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that American military forces have conducted a lethal targeted strike that eliminated the top leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a violent transnational criminal organization originally formed in Venezuela.

    Trump shared the news via his own social media platform Truth Social, stating that at his direct order, the U.S. Southern Command carried out a rapid, deadly kinetic operation that successfully killed Nino Guerrero — the alias of Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. The operation, Trump added, was closely coordinated with allied interim leadership in Venezuela, which has held power since the U.S. removed former president Nicolas Maduro from office in January. He specifically referenced interim leader Delcy Rodriguez’s administration as the collaborating partner in the strike.

    Following the operation, Trump emphasized that Tren de Aragua terrorists will no longer be able to find a protected safe haven anywhere, whether within Venezuela or across the globe. He did not release additional details about the exact location where the strike was carried out.

    Attached to Trump’s social media post was a 10-second surveillance video captured from an aerial perspective. The footage shows a low-rise building set amid dense greenery, followed by a massive explosion that billows a large plume of smoke into the air. No individual figures are clearly identifiable in the released clip.

    Tren de Aragua, which under Guerrero’s leadership expanded its operations beyond Venezuela to establish criminal networks in Colombia, Peru, and Chile, has already been formally designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government. Months before the strike, in December, federal prosecutors in New York unveiled a multi-count indictment against Guerrero, charging him with racketeering, drug trafficking, and illegal firearms offenses.

    At the time of the indictment’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton described Guerrero as the mastermind behind TdA’s dramatic transformation from a small prison gang operating inside Venezuelan correctional facilities to a powerful transnational criminal enterprise. Clayton noted that under Guerrero’s direction, the gang carried out thousands of brutal acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking across North America, South America, and Europe. Prior to the strike, the U.S. State Department had issued a $5 million reward for any information that would lead to Guerrero’s arrest or conviction.