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Mexico Captures CJNG Commander ‘El Jardinero’ After 19-Month Manhunt

The capture deals a sharp operational blow to CJNG.

Police officers secure the area where vehicles were set on fire by organized crime members to block a road following a military operation in which a government source said Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as "El Mencho," was killed, in Zapopan, Mexico, Feb. 22, 2026.
FILE - Newspapers hang on display for sale in Mexico City, Monday, Feb. 23, 2026, a day after the Mexican army killed Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as "El Mencho." (AP Photo/Jon Orbach,File)

Overview

  • Mexican Navy special forces captured Audias “El Jardinero” Flores on Monday in El Mirador, Nayarit, finding him hiding in a drainage ditch without a shot fired.
  • The raid followed about 19 months of surveillance and deployed more than 500 personnel, six helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft, with intelligence support from U.S. agencies.
  • Flores is a senior Jalisco New Generation Cartel figure seen as a potential successor to slain leader “El Mencho,” and he is wanted by U.S. authorities on 2021 drug conspiracy charges with a $5 million reward.
  • Officials also detained his alleged financial operator, César Alejandro “El Güero Conta,” in a separate action in Zapopan, signaling a push to hit the cartel’s money flows.
  • The arrest triggered arson attacks and road blockades in Nayarit, with authorities working to restore order as analysts caution the cartel could reorganize despite leadership losses.