Mexican authorities have arrested two top criminals, one a close ally of the slain founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), prompting gunmen to block roads near the border city of Reynosa. Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, is a regional commander controlling swaths of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February.
Security forces surrounded a cabin in El Mirador, 12 miles (20km) north of Puerto Vallarta, where Flores was protected by about 30 pickup trucks and more than 60 gunmen, according to Mexico’s navy. Flores’s escorts scattered as a diversion, but he was located trying to hide in a drainage ditch. “The operation was carried out with surgical precision without a single shot being fired,” the navy said in a statement.
Videos shared by Mexico’s security minister, Omar García Harfuch, showed aerial footage of the arrest as helicopters hovered overhead. The navy said the operation followed 19 months of surveillance and involved more than 500 troops, six helicopters, and several planes. The navy also used intelligence from US authorities, including aerial surveillance.
It was not immediately clear if Flores would face charges in Mexico, but García Harfuch said he was wanted for extradition by US authorities, which had offered a $5m reward for his arrest. Later, Mexican authorities arrested César Alejandro “N”, nicknamed “El Güero Conta”, who is believed to be a key money launderer for Flores. His arrest provoked cartel gunmen to block eight highways in and out of Reynosa.
Reynosa lies across the border from McAllen, Texas, and is home to the Gulf Cartel. The US embassy in Mexico warned employees to avoid the area and maintain high vigilance. Carlos Olivo, a former DEA agent and CJNG expert, said Flores was a “significant figure” and his arrest “will have a bigger effect on CJNG operations than El Mencho being taken out”.
Flores was key to CJNG operations, controlling drug labs, smuggling routes, and distribution networks in the US, according to a Mexican security official. Mexico has stepped up security under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has threatened unilateral military action and tied tariff threats to anti-cartel efforts. The US ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, called the arrest a significant step against fentanyl trafficking.
The US Treasury identified Flores as a significant narcotics trafficker in 2021, when a grand jury charged him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin. The arrest is the latest blow to Mexican cartels after El Mencho’s killing, a personal mission for García Harfuch, who blamed El Mencho for a 2020 assassination attempt. Flores was among several top leaders seen as potential successors. Mexico’s security situation faces scrutiny as it prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
