Mexico’s most powerful organized crime enterprise, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (JNGC), suffered another blow on Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top commanders, Audias Flores Silva.
Known as “El Jardinero”, or The Gardener, Flores was seen as a possible successor to the cartel’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho”, who was killed in a dramatic operation in February.
The United States, which designated the JNGC as a terrorist organization in 2025, was offering a $5 million (€4.3 million) reward for information leading to Flores’ arrest after the Cervantes murder.
El Mencho’s death led to an increase in cartel violence in Mexico, including an increase in attacks on businesses by gunmen, setting vehicles on fire and blocking roads. More than 70 people were killed, including 25 National Guard members.
In a statement released after Silva’s capture, the Mexican Navy said he had been “identified as one of the main generators of violence.”
How was cartel leader ‘El Jardinero’ captured?
The statement said Mexican forces surrounded a cabin north of a resort town where Flores was hiding, guarded by about 30 pickup trucks and 60 gunmen.
The gunmen “dispersed to different locations” as part of a distraction tactic, but ground and air tracking led them to Flores, who was found hiding in a roadside ditch.
The operation “followed 19 months of surveillance of this priority target” and “was executed with surgical precision without a single shot being fired,” the release said. The Navy also used intelligence provided by U.S. officials in the successful capture.
It is unclear whether Flores will face charges in Mexico or the United States, where his extradition is being sought.
He was described by former U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration assistant special agent in charge and CJNG expert Carlos Olivo as an “important individual” whose arrest “would have a greater impact on CJNG operations than taking out El Mencho.”
Mexico is under pressure to crack down on cartels
Video shared by Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuchs showed aerial surveillance feeds showing helicopters hovering over the operation area.
Later on Monday, authorities arrested another JNGC associate, Cesar Alejandro N. Mexican authorities said he was a major money launderer for Flores.
Mexico faces increasing scrutiny over its security situation as the country prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada this summer.
US President Donald Trump’s administration had also increased pressure on Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to crack down on organized crime gangs.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly rejected US proposals for drone strikes or ground troops to fight Mexican cartels.
Edited by: Alex Berry