Mexico’s military captures top cartel leader in another blow to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Mexico’s most powerful criminal enterprise, suffered another blow Monday when the Mexican military captured one of its top leaders in the northwest of the country, two months after the cartel’s leader was killed.

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Audias Flores Silva, also known as “El Jardinero,” or The Gardener, was seen as a possible successor to the killed leader and the United States had a $5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest.

The CJNG regional commander was captured while he was hiding in a roadside ditch near the community of El Mirador in the state of Nayarit, Mexican officials said Monday. No one was killed or injured during his arrest, according to Mexico’s government.

Flores Silva was seen as a possible successor to Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho,” who was killed in a dramatic military operation in February. The killing of “El Mencho” led to a surge of cartel violence with a wave of attacks on businesses by cartel gunmen, vehicle burnings and road blockades that killed more than 70 people, including 25 National Guard members.

Despite the violence, Oseguera Cervantes’ killing was seen as a victory for Mexico’s government at a time when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum is cracking down on cartels with a heavier hand than her predecessors in an effort to offset threats of intervention by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Last year, Trump designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and five other Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Flores Silva’s capture marked another blow to a criminal enterprise that has quickly become one of the most powerful in the hemisphere. According to Mexican security officials, he was the head of security for Oseguera Cervantes, and helped lead the cartel’s drug production and trafficking operations in the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Mexico State, and Zacatecas.

Local news organizations in Nayarit reported a number of cars and businesses were burned following his arrest.

The capture was praised by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson, who said in a post on X that Flores Silva’s arrest marks an “important step” in combating those who profit from fentanyl trafficking.

“Actions like this strengthen security and help dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities. Together, we achieve results that make our nations safer,” he added.