Mexico City (EFE).- Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), Omar García Harfuch, announced on Monday the arrest of Audias Flores Silva, alias «El Jardinero» (The Gardener). United States authorities have identified Flores Silva as one of the leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and had offered a 5 million dollar reward for his capture.
The arrest occurred in the state of Nayarit (west), a region with a strong CJNG presence, just two months after the death of capo Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias «El Mencho,» in a military operation. Flores Silva was considered a possible successor to El Mencho.
García Harfuch explained that the detainee was wanted on an arrest warrant in Mexico and was being sought by US authorities for extradition.
«The US government was offering a 5 million dollar reward for his capture,» he mentioned in a brief message on his X account.
The official noted that the operation was «planned, developed, and executed» by personnel from the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar).
In April 2021, the US government announced sanctions against Flores Silva, identifying him as one of the CJNG’s regional leaders.
Flores Silva, 45, has also been named as Oseguera Cervantes’ head of security, according to media reports citing the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
At the time, the US Treasury Department stated that he controlled large areas of the Mexican Pacific, including Nayarit, and accused him of trafficking large quantities of opiates and cocaine.
He was also indicted in the US for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin, as well as for firearms offenses.
Subsequently, in June 2025, El Jardinero was again included in a package of sanctions against high-ranking CJNG members, where he was linked to the operation of clandestine methamphetamine laboratories.
In February, following the death of El Mencho, the founder of the CJNG, specialists pointed to the now-detained man as part of a group of leaders who took charge of the cartel. EFE
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