Mexico Captures ‘El Jardinero,’ Potential Successor to ‘El Mencho,’ in “Surgical Precision” Operation

The commander of a Mexican drug cartel has been arrested through a special forces operation. According to Al Jazeera, Audias Flores-Silva, known as “El Jardinero,” was arrested while trying to hide in a drainage ditch.

The Mexican Navy said in a statement, “The operation was carried out with surgical precision without a single shot being fired.”

Flores was known to be one of the top commanders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). He was arrested alongside his chief financial operator, as revealed by Mexico Security Secretary Omar Garcia Harfuch.

The Mexican Navy revealed that the operation included months of surveillance and involved over 500 troops, several planes, and six helicopters. It was revealed that Flores was being protected in a cabin in El Mirador, situated about 20 km north of the resort city of Puerto Vallarta. At least 60 gunmen and some 30 pick-up trucks were there to protect the property where he was hiding.

However, the Navy said that the escorts were more like a diversion, as Flores was found trying to hide in a drainage ditch during the operation. On April 27, Harfuch shared videos of the operation that showed helicopters hovering over the location.

Sharing the aerial footage, Harfuch wrote on X, “Audias Flores Silva, alias ‘El Jardinero,' was detained in Nayarit. He has an arrest warrant in Mexico and is also sought by United States authorities for extradition purposes. For his capture, the U.S. government offered a reward of 5 million dollars.”

The same evening, Harfuch announced that Cesar Alejandro "N," alias “El Guero Conta,” who worked as the Flores' financial operator, was also arrested during an operation in the central Mexican city of Zapopan.

The security secretary said, “‘El Guero Conta’ is accused of laundering funds from illicit activities through companies and front men, as well as acquiring aircraft, vessels, houses, ranches, and investing in tequila production companies.”

Former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent Carlos Olivo said in a statement that Flores played a key role in Jalisco cartel operations. He was responsible for controlling networks of drug laboratories, distribution networks within the United States, and mapping out smuggling routes.

Flores was a regional commander in control of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered the potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, who went by the alias “El Mencho.” Oseguera, who was the head of the cartel, was killed by security forces in February.