In a high-stakes, large-scale security operation that marks one of the most significant victories against Mexican organized crime in recent months, Mexican security forces have apprehended a senior leadership figure of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the world’s most powerful and violent transnational criminal networks.
The target, 45-year-old Audias Flores Silva—known widely by his cartel alias “El Jardinero” or “The Gardener”—was tracked down and captured without resistance on Monday in the western Mexican state of Nayarit. After roughly 500 security personnel closed in on his hiding location, Flores was found concealing himself in a large cement drainage ditch, his legs visible protruding from the pipe as armed officers moved in. Footage released by the Mexican Navy shows military helicopters hovering over a remote cabin in the area prior to the arrest, confirming the coordinated nature of the raid. Following his capture, Flores was immediately airlifted via helicopter to a maximum-security detention facility for holding.
Senior Mexican officials have confirmed that Flores served as the closest right-hand associate to Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, the former founder and leader of CJNG who was Mexico’s most-wanted criminal. El Mencho died two months ago from injuries sustained during a clash with military forces deployed to arrest him, and Flores was widely named among the top candidates expected to take control of the entire cartel in the wake of El Mencho’s death. Unlike his former boss, who died in a gunfight with security forces, Flores surrendered without any resistance when officers closed in on his hiding spot.
Mexico’s Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch publicly announced the successful operation via social media, where he commended the personnel of the Mexican Navy for their work. “I recognize the bravery, discipline and dedication of the women and men of the Mexican Navy who carried out this key operation against organized crime,” Harfuch wrote.
The arrest carries major cross-border significance, as the United States had long targeted Flores for his role in the cartel’s drug trafficking operations. The U.S. State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Flores’ capture, and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson praised the operation in a post on X, calling the arrest “an important step” in disrupting transnational criminal activity. “Actions like this strengthen security on both sides of our border and help dismantle criminal networks that threaten communities in both our countries,” Johnson wrote.
For Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the successful capture represents a major policy win, as her administration has faced growing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to step up efforts to combat cartels smuggling illicit drugs from Mexico into the United States. In a precautionary move to prevent widespread violence following the high-profile arrest, Sheinbaum’s security cabinet deployed additional security personnel to Nayarit and surrounding regions, a response shaped by the wave of coordinated unrest that swept through eight Mexican states after El Mencho’s death in February.
Initial reports confirm that scattered retaliatory attacks have already occurred, with cartel affiliates setting fire to six vehicles and six local businesses in response to Flores’ arrest. However, Nayarit’s governor Miguel Ángel Navarro Quintero told reporters Tuesday that the security deployment has kept the situation under control, confirming no major roadblocks have been established by cartel members and that overall public order remains calm across the state.