Mexican forces arrest top cartel commander 'El Jardinero' after 19‑months of surveillance

Mexican special forces arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, a senior commander of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), during an operation in the western state of Nayarit, Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said on Monday (27 April).

Flores was a regional commander overseeing large stretches of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast and was viewed by security analysts as a potential successor to cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who was killed in a security operation in February.

Mexico’s Navy, which led the operation, said security forces surrounded a cabin in El Mirador, about 20 km north of the resort city of Puerto Vallarta, where Flores was protected by dozens of gunmen and vehicles. The Navy said the arrest followed 19 months of surveillance and was carried out without shots being fired.

“The operation was carried out with surgical precision,” it said, adding that Flores was located as he tried to hide after his escorts scattered as a diversion.

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U.S. authorities are seeking Flores’ extradition and had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture, Mexican officials said. The U.S. Treasury previously designated Flores as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker, accusing him of overseeing drug production, smuggling routes and distribution networks into the United States.

Calling the arrest “a significant step forward,” U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said it targeted “those who profit from fentanyl and fuel violence,” as Mexico intensifies its campaign against powerful cartels under pressure from Washington.

The capture marks one of the most high‑profile blows to the CJNG since El Mencho’s killing and comes as Mexico’s security strategy faces heightened scrutiny ahead of the country’s co‑hosting of the FIFA World Cup with the United States and Canada later this year

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