Security & Strategic Review - July 2026

A US air strike which took out the leader of the transnational organised crime group Tren de Aragua in Venezuela on 12 June is unlikely to have dealt a fatal blow to the group, which President Donald Trump’s administration designated as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) in February 2025. However, the operation, which was carried out in coordination with the Venezuelan authorities, did raise questions over whether the country could become a new frontier in Washington’s efforts to combat criminal groups in Latin America.