Mexican military captures top cartel leader ‘El Jardinero’ in Nayarit

Audias Flores Silva, alias 'El Jardinero', a top leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was captured by the Mexican military on Monday while hiding in a roadside ditch near El Mirador, Nayarit. The arrest follows the killing of cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, 'El Mencho', in February. Flores Silva, who had a US$5 million bounty from the United States, was seen as a possible successor. No injuries occurred during the operation. The killing of 'El Mencho' had sparked a wave of cartel violence, including attacks on businesses, vehicle burnings, and road blockades that killed over 70 people, including 25 National Guard members. The capture is a further blow to the CJNG, Mexico's most powerful criminal enterprise, and a victory for President Claudia Sheinbaum's crackdown on cartels amid threats of US intervention by President Donald Trump.