Mexican forces on Monday arrested Odias Flores Silva, nicknamed ‘El Jardinero’, one of the top leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).
Flores Silva was considered one of the key candidates to succeed El Mencho, the former CJNG leader who was murdered by the authorities in February.
The drug lord’s arrest comes amid a major crackdown on organized crime by Mexican security forces, partly due to pressure from Washington.
Monday’s operation resulted in no shots fired, injuries or collateral damage, according to authorities. The military deployment included 120 direct action troops, four close air support helicopters, four fixed-wing aircraft, and two troop transport helicopters, with 400 Navy troops providing support.
The CJNG leader’s 60-strong convoy dispersed in different directions and attempted tactical disruption operations upon the arrival of security forces, but located their targets through air and ground tracking.
Official footage of the operation shared by Mexico’s Minister of Security and Civil Protection, Omar García Harfuch, shows the moment of the arrest, in which Flores Silva was rescued from a roadside ditch where he had been hiding. The arrest occurred near El Mirador, a rural town in the western province of Nayarit.
Within hours of the news breaking, several shops and vehicles were set on fire across Nayarit. Unrest has not reached the level of revenge following the killing of ‘El Mencho’ in February 2026, but the Nayarit government has urged citizens to stay at home as a precautionary measure.
A big blow to CJNG
The arrests were praised by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson, who congratulated Mexico’s security cabinet and Navy secretary.
In 2021, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration offered a US$5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Odias Flores Silva. Flores Silva was defined as being ‘closely identified’ with former CJNG leader ‘El Mencho’ (real name Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes).
In June 2025, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Flores Silva, identifying him as the CJNG regional commander responsible for significant portions of the territories of the states of Zacatecas, Guerrero, Nayarit, Jalisco, and Michoacán.
According to U.S. authorities, Flores Silva controlled a clandestine laboratory producing methamphetamine and other illegal drugs in central Jalisco and southern Zacatecas. Silva also managed the logistics of a cocaine trafficking operation from Central America through Mexico to the United States, including supervision of several secret airstrips.
‘El Jardinero’ is also believed to have organized a deadly attack against Mexican police in Jalisco in 2015 that left 15 agents dead.
Flores Silva’s arrest was a major blow to the CJNG as security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to the group’s command following the death of ‘El Mencho’ in February.
Chris Dalby, director of World of Crime and senior analyst at Dyami Security Intelligence, said, “Flores Silva was the closest thing CJNG had to a chief operating officer. He once ran Mencho’s private security, managed laboratories and airfields in the Pacific Corridor, oversaw time-sharing fraud networks and U.S. money laundering pipelines, and brokered an alliance with Los Chapitos following the Sinaloa civil war.” Latin America Report.
Authorities dealt a second blow to the CJNG yesterday when Mexican Army Special Forces and National Guard troops detained César Alejandro N, nicknamed “El Güero Conta.” He was identified as the main financial operator of ‘El Jardinero’ and was accused of laundering funds through the company and its frontman.
“Losing Silva along with his financiers on the same day is a blow to CJNG both operationally and financially. However, this does not mean the end of CJNG and may actually help Juan Carlos González Valencia secure leadership by eliminating a rival,” Dalby said.
Featured Image Description: Wanted poster for Audias Flores Silva, nicknamed ‘El Jardinero’.
Featured image credit: Omar García Harfuch via Facebook.
