The early hours of April 27, 2026, marked the end of the reign of Audias Flores Silva—alias “El Jardinero” (The Gardener)—in the mountains of Nayarit. Following months of surveillance and a precision military operation, Navy special forces captured him as he attempted to escape through a drainage tunnel, defended by 60 hitmen and 30 armored vehicles.
The downfall of this regional boss of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) left an immediate void in the criminal organization’s structure and raised the question of who might take the reins of the group he commanded.
According to journalist Anabel Hernández, in her podcast *Narcosistema*, “El Jardinero” was not only the principal operative for Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes—”El Mencho”—in the western region, but he had also built his own independent network with sufficient influence to operate effectively as a standalone cartel.
In the wake of his arrest, at least two names have emerged as potential successors: Raúl Morín, alias “La Fresa” (The Strawberry), and Francisco Jaramillo Valdovinos, alias “El Serio” (The Serious One).
Audias Flores Silva was born on November 19, 1980, in Huetamo, Michoacán. He operated across the states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Guerrero, and Michoacán, and was also known by the aliases “El Comandante,” “El Brado 2,” “El Audi,” and “El Mata Jefes” (The Boss Killer).
