New Delhi: Mexican special forces have arrested Audias Flores, also known as “El Jardinero,” a senior leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in the western state of Nayarit, Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said on Monday.
Flores, a regional commander who oversaw large areas of CJNG-controlled territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast, had been seen as a potential successor to cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, also known as “El Mencho,” who was killed in a security operation in February.
According to Mexico’s Navy, which led the raid, security forces surrounded a cabin in El Mirador, about 20 km (12 miles) north of Puerto Vallarta, where Flores was guarded by a perimeter of around 30 pickup trucks and more than 60 armed men.
Authorities said his escorts attempted to create a diversion and fled, but Flores was eventually found trying to hide in a drainage ditch.
“The operation was carried out with surgical precision without a single shot being fired,” the Navy said in a statement.
Videos shared by Garcia Harfuch on social media showed aerial footage of the arrest as helicopters hovered overhead during the operation, which the Navy said followed 19 months of surveillance and involved more than 500 troops, six helicopters and several planes.
The Navy also used intelligence support from the U.S. authorities, including aerial surveillance played a role in the capture, according to a Mexican security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It remained unclear initially whether Flores would face charges in Mexico, but Garcia Harfuch said he is wanted for extradition by U.S. authorities, who have offered a $5 million reward for his arrest.
Later, authorities also confirmed the arrest of Cesar Alejandro N., alias “El Güero Conta,” an alleged key money launderer for Flores.
‘Bigger’ Than EL Mencho
Carlos Olivo, a former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and an expert on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), described Audias Flores as a “significant figure,” saying his arrest “will have a bigger effect on CJNG operations than El Mencho being taken out.”
According to Mexican security officials, Flores played a central role in CJNG activities, overseeing drug laboratories, trafficking routes, and distribution networks extending into the United States.
Mexico has intensified its security operations amid mounting pressure from Donald Trump, who has repeatedly warned of possible unilateral military action if he feels efforts to combat cartels are deemed insufficient.
Last year, the Trump administration also linked trade measures, including tariff threats, to Mexico’s handling of fentanyl trafficking and migration. The U.S., Mexico, and Canada are in the process of reviewing their regional trade agreement.
Reacting to the arrest, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said Monday’s arrest of “a key leader of the violent CJNG represents a significant step forward in the fight against those who profit from fentanyl and fuel violence in our communities,”
The U.S. Treasury Department had previously designated Flores a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker” in 2021, when he was charged by a U.S. grand jury with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
The arrest marks another major setback for Mexican drug cartels following the death of El Mencho—an operation that held personal significance for Omar Garcia Harfuch, who had blamed El Mencho for a 2020 assassination attempt that killed two of his bodyguards.
Flores had been seen by security analysts as one of several senior figures capable of taking over leadership of the cartel.
Mexico’s security landscape is under heightened scrutiny as the country prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup alongside the U.S. and Canada later this year.
(DD News)