The Nayarit State Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday the arrest of Carlos, identified by authorities as the nephew of Audias Flores Silva—known as “El Jardinero”—a key leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) structure.
This confirms that the CJNG betrayed “El Jardinero”; they have not even provided the legal assistance usually extended to detained members. Furthermore, on the day of his capture, they merely staged a token burning of businesses in apparent retaliation, but the incident ended within minutes—meaning they had provided the location to the authorities and ordered their hitmen to stand down rather than intervene.
Reports indicate that Juan Carlos Valencia González—”El 03,” the stepson of “El Mencho”—feared that “El Jardinero” might become the absolute leader of the Jalisco-based cartel.
In Nayarit, it is known that hitmen who previously worked for “El Jardinero” have resorted to committing robberies because the CJNG has failed to pay them.
The arrest was carried out by personnel from the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) within Nayarit territory; the operation also resulted in the detention of two other men, identified as Gabriel and José Carlos. State authorities confirmed that all three detainees have been placed in justified preventive detention while the corresponding investigations proceed.
The Attorney General’s Office specified that prosecutors charged the accused with violations of the Federal Law on Firearms and Explosives—specifically regarding the possession of weaponry intended for sale—as well as the crime of receiving stolen goods (concealment through receipt of illicit property). During the operation, federal forces seized a cache of live ammunition and four vehicles—most notably a Jeep Wrangler and a Ford Bronco—which have been placed in official custody as evidence.
Security agencies have not yet disclosed the exact date or municipality where the armed intervention took place, nor have they specified whether Carlos “N” held a specific role or operational command within the criminal organization’s hierarchy; consequently, the current charges are strictly limited to the possession of weapons and vehicles reported stolen.
This blow to the criminal group’s family structure comes weeks after the arrest of Audias Flores Silva—alias “El Jardinero”—which occurred on April 27 in Nayarit. Following his arrest, the criminal leader was transferred to the “Altiplano” Federal Social Reintegration Center (No. 1) in the State of Mexico, where his legal team has recently filed various *amparo* petitions to block his extradition to the United States. Investigations regarding his three detained accomplices remain ongoing as a supervisory judge determines their final legal status.
