Mexico special forces arrest senior drug cartel commander and money launderer

The arrests of Audias Flores and Cesar Alejandro 'N' prompted cartel gunmen to block roads, while the U.S. embassy warned staff to avoid Reynosa following a separate capture.

Mexican authorities have arrested two top criminals, one of whom was a close ally of the slain founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), prompting gunmen to block roads in the western state of Nayarit.

Audias Flores, alias 'El Jardinero,' was a regional commander controlling multiple CJNG territories along Mexico's Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias 'El Mencho,' who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February.

According to a press release from the Mexican navy, security forces surrounded a cabin in El Mirador, 20 km north of the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta, where Flores was protected by a ring of about 30 pickup trucks and more than 60 gunmen. The navy added that Flores' escort dispersed as a diversion, but he was found hiding in a drainage ditch. 'The operation was carried out with precision without a single shot being fired,' the navy said in a statement.

Videos posted on social media by Mexico's Security Minister, Omar Garcia Harfuch, showed aerial footage of the arrest, with helicopters hovering overhead throughout the operation. The navy said the operation followed 19 months of surveillance and involved more than 500 soldiers, six helicopters, and several aircraft.

According to an anonymous Mexican security official, the navy also used intelligence provided by the U.S. government, including aerial surveillance.

It remains unclear whether Flores will face charges in Mexico, but Garcia Harfuch said he is wanted by U.S. authorities for extradition and that a $5 million (3.7 million pounds) reward had been offered for information leading to his capture.

Later that day, Mexican authorities announced the arrest of Cesar Alejandro 'N,' alias 'El Guero Conta,' who is believed to be Flores' chief money launderer.

Carlos Olivo, a former special assistant to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and an expert on CJNG, said Flores was a 'significant figure' and that his arrest 'will have a greater impact on CJNG's operations than the removal of El Mencho.'

According to the Mexican security official, Flores was key to the Jalisco cartel's activities, controlling a network of drug labs, smuggling routes, and distribution networks in the U.S.

Earlier in the day, the arrest of a suspected Gulf Cartel member, Alexander Benavides, alias 'El Metro 9,' in Tamaulipas state, caused cartel gunmen to block roads near the border city of Reynosa.

Reynosa lies just across the border from McAllen, Texas, and is the home base of the Gulf Cartel, one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Mexican history. The U.S. embassy in Mexico warned government employees to avoid the wider Reynosa area and 'maintain a high level of vigilance.'

Mexico has significantly stepped up security efforts under intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly threatened unilateral military action in Mexico if he believes the Mexican government is not doing enough to combat the cartels.

Last year, the Trump administration also threatened tariffs over what it said were insufficient measures to stop fentanyl smuggling and control migration. The U.S., Mexico, and Canada are in the process of reviewing their joint free trade agreement.

U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson said on social media that Monday's arrest of 'a key leader of the violent CJNG' 'represents an important step in the fight against those who profit from fentanyl and promote violence in our communities.'

The U.S. Treasury Department identified Flores as a 'significant foreign drug trafficker' in 2021, when a U.S. grand jury indicted him for conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin, among other charges.

The arrest marks the latest blow against Mexican drug cartels following the death of El Mencho – a personal mission for Garcia Harfuch, who blamed El Mencho for a 2020 assassination attempt that killed two of his bodyguards.

Flores was one of several top regional leaders that security analysts believed could step in to take control of the cartel.

Mexico's security situation is under close scrutiny as it prepares to co-host the FIFA World Cup this summer alongside the U.S. and Canada.