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.
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
Iran has rejected as “irrelevant” a UN nuclear watchdog resolution referring its nuclear file to the UN Security Council, arguing that ...
Georgia’s busiest sea gateway has reached its capacity limit, adding urgency to plans for a major expansion of Poti port as the country seeks...
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, ...
Four people were killed, including a child, in Ukrainian strikes on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk overnight, according to the governor of the Krasnodar region. Ukraine's drone forces commander, Robert Brovdi, said Russian military ships were destroyed in the attacks.
Wildfires have broken out in Türkiye’s Antalya province, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate as strong winds fuelled the flames.
Overnight Iranian strikes on an air base in Jordan damaged multiple U.S. aircraft and left one without a wing, American media reported. Meanwhile, explosions were heard across parts of southern Iran according to local media reports.
A TV channel was struck during a live broadcast on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least three people, the city's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Meanwhile, drones hit civilian infrastructure in Russia's southwestern Saratov region.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces destroyed five Iranian crude oil carriers after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) allegedly launched two ballistic missile attacks against a U.S. Navy warship over the past two days.
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia and a seaport in Dagestan in the past 24 hours, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. He will meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday to discuss air defences for Ukraine over winter.
Eight Muslim-majority countries have launched a joint push for wider international action against trade linked to Israeli settlements, seeking to build momentum from new measures announced by the UK and other Western governments.
Saudi Arabia is facing a problem that goes beyond the latest Houthi attacks on its southern oil facilities. The kingdom is now dealing with pressure on energy exports at the Strait of Hormuz to the east and the Red Sea route to the west.
Two Azerbaijani sailors were killed on Wednesday when a foreign cargo ship they were travelling on was attacked by drones in the Black Sea, Baku's Foreign Ministry has said.
Iceland’s government plans to introduce legislation in February to permanently ban commercial whaling, potentially leaving Norway and Japan as the world’s only countries still allowing the practice.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment