Mexican special forces have arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, a senior commander of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in an operation that officials said marked a significant advance against organized crime while coinciding with growing diplomatic tensions between Mexico and the United States.
Security officials said Flores was detained in the western state of Nayarit after months of surveillance, with more than 500 troops, six helicopters, and several aircraft deployed to encircle a guarded cabin near Puerto Vallarta.
Authorities reported that Flores attempted to evade capture by hiding in a drainage ditch after his armed escorts scattered as a diversion.
“The operation was carried out with surgical precision without a single shot being fired,” the navy said.
Flores was described as a regional commander overseeing large sections of cartel territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast and managing drug laboratories, smuggling routes, and distribution networks extending into the United States.
He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who was killed earlier this year.
Mexican authorities said Flores is wanted for extradition by U.S. authorities, which had offered a $5 million reward for his capture.
Later the same day, officials announced the arrest of Cesar Alejandro “N”, known as “El Guero Conta”, identified as Flores’s financial operator.
Authorities accused him of laundering illicit funds through businesses and assets including aircraft, properties, and tequila companies.
The arrests were described by officials as a coordinated effort targeting both operational and financial structures of the cartel.
The operation, which involved intelligence support from U.S. authorities, comes amid heightened tensions over the role of American agents in Mexico.
President Claudia Sheinbaum warned that unauthorized foreign operations must not be repeated following the deaths of two CIA agents in a car crash during an anti-narcotics mission in Chihuahua earlier this month.
“Let us hope this is an exceptional case … and that a situation like this never happens again,” she said.
Mexican officials said they were unaware of the agents’ presence and called for a full investigation into the incident, which also killed two Mexican personnel.
Authorities have summoned regional officials to testify as scrutiny grows over cross-border coordination in security operations.
The CIA has declined to comment on the matter.