Who Is ‘El Jardinero’? CJNG Leader With $5 Million Bounty Arrested

Violence protest erupted across Mexico after the arrest of El Jardinero, real name Audias Flores Silva, which was a nightmare for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). Mexican authorities on Monday confirmed the arrest of a wanted man from Nayarit during an operation led by special forces of the Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR).

US Wanted El Jardinero

The arrest of Jardinero, followed by a Mexican warrant and US charges, and wanted for extradition, said Security Minister Omar García Harfuch. He was also wanted by America, which had offered a $5 million reward for his capture, said Harfuch.

https://t.co/vFnD3unieLpic.twitter.com/q8Gj4zxLVH

— Omar H Garcia Harfuch (@OHarfuch) April 27, 2026

The US Treasury Department had previously termed El Jardinero as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker”. The US grand jury also charged him with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin. This arrest was made months after the killing of CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho,” in a military operation in Jalisco.

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Se desata violencia en #Nayarit tras la detención de “El Jardinero”

Reportes señalan actos vándalicos en diferentes municipios de Nayarit como Tecuala, Ahuacatlán e Ixtlán del Río donde reportan detonaciones y bloqueos en diversos puntos. Esto a raíz de la detención… pic.twitter.com/sVartqaL9l

— Reporte M (@_ReporteMorelos) April 28, 2026

His death also saw a massive violent protest, leaving more than 70 deaths, including 25 National Guard members. Carlos Olivo, a former US Drug Enforcement Administration official, underscored the significance of the arrest. “He’s a significant figure,” Olivo said, adding that it “will have a bigger effect on CJNG operations than Mencho being taken out.”

Who Is El Jardinero?

A 31-year-old, famously known as El Jardinero, whose real name is Flores Silva, originally from Huetamo in Michoacán and is one of the drug cartel group CJNG’s top commanders after the death of El Mencho. He was the head of security for El Mencho before becoming the leader of CJNG and taking control of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, Michoacán, and Guerrero.

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Jardinero was managing methamphetamine laboratories, managing aircraft, and coordinating clandestine airstrips used for drug trafficking along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was the potential successor to El Mencho after his death.

Earlier, Silva was arrested in 2016 for his alleged involvement in a 2015 ambush against police in Soyatlán, Jalisco, though he was later released. He has worked with Nemesio Oseguera, say Mexican officials. Oseguera led the cartel until he was killed during a security operation in February.