Mexican special forces arrest top commander of cartel and his alleged money launderer

<p>US embassy warns employees to avoid Reynosa area after arrests of Audias Flores and César Alejandro “N”</p><p>The Mexican authorities have arrested two top criminals, one of them a close ally of the slain founder of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), prompting gunmen to block roads near the border city of Reynosa.<strong> </strong></p><p>Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, is a regional commander in control of swathes of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/23/violence-erupts-mexico-military-kills-drug-cartel-boss-el-mencho-visual-guide">who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/mexican-special-forces-arrest-top-commander-audias-flores-el-jardinero-of-powerful-cartel">Continue reading...</a>