Mexican authorities have delivered another significant blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), the country's most powerful criminal organization, by arresting one of its top leaders. Audias Flores Silva, known as 'El Jardinero' or 'The Gardener,' was captured in a meticulously planned operation that involved no gunfire or casualties, according to Mexico's government.
Flores Silva served as a regional commander controlling vast territories along Mexico's Pacific coast and was considered the potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as 'El Mencho.' Oseguera Cervantes led the cartel until he was killed during a shootout with the Mexican military in February. Flores Silva was hiding in a ditch near the community of El Mirador in the state of Nayarit, approximately 20 kilometers north of Puerto Vallarta, when Mexican special forces located him. His associates attempted to create a diversion by scattering, but the regional commander was soon found trying to conceal himself in a drainage ditch.
'The operation was carried out with surgical precision without a single shot being fired,' the navy stated on X. Mexico's security minister, Omar Garcia Harfuch, shared photos and video of the arrest on X, including aerial footage showing helicopters hovering overhead during the operation.
Flores Silva's capture is a major setback for the CJNG. He was not only the head of security for Oseguera Cervantes but also played a key role in leading the cartel's drug production and trafficking operations in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Mexico State, and Zacatecas. In addition to Flores Silva, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Cesar Alejandro 'N,' nicknamed 'El Guero Conta,' who is believed to be Flores Silva's money launderer.
Following the arrest, cartel gunmen reportedly burned several cars and businesses in retaliation, according to local news outlets. The U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, praised the arrest as an 'important step' in combating those who profit from fentanyl trafficking. 'Actions like this strengthen security and help dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities,' he added in an X post. 'Together, we achieve results that make our nations safer.'
Since El Mencho's death in February, the cartel has unleashed a wave of violence across 20 Mexican states, destroying businesses, setting vehicles ablaze, and blocking roads in separate attacks that killed more than 70 people, including 25 National Guard members. Despite this violence, Oseguera Cervantes' killing was seen as a victory for Mexico's government, which has been intensifying its crackdown on cartels under President Claudia Sheinbaum to counter potential intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Last year, Trump designated the CJNG and five other Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has acknowledged the CJNG's presence in 21 of Mexico's 32 states, surpassing the Sinaloa Cartel, which operates in 19 states. Some analysts believe the CJNG's presence extends to 25 states, with a stronghold in Jalisco. The cartel's operations have also spread to around 100 countries, including the United States. Since 2021, the U.S. has requested Flores Silva's extradition to face charges of drug conspiracy and firearms possession.
