Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, released a video via his X account detailing the operation carried out by the Secretariat of the Navy to apprehend Audias Flores Silva—alias “El Jardinero”—in Nayarit. Flores Silva is the alleged successor to “El Mencho” and is currently subject to an arrest warrant in Mexico. He is also wanted by U.S. authorities for extradition purposes.
García Harfuch further explained that the operation was spearheaded by the Navy’s special forces. The video features aerial footage of the agency’s helicopters flying overhead, followed by footage capturing the moment members of the naval corps carry out El Jardinero’s apprehension.
In 2021, the United States announced a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to his arrest or conviction, as he faces multiple charges related to drug and arms trafficking.
U.S. authorities identify El Jardinero as the leader of a vast territory controlled by the CJNG—the cartel formerly led by the late Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho”—spanning Mexico’s Pacific coast, including the state of Nayarit.
