Two high-level military operations carried out by Mexico’s Navy delivered a powerful blow to the most feared terrorist group in Mexico, Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG). The arrests of two of its top leaders come just weeks after Mexico’s military forces, working with U.S. intelligence agencies, killed the cartel’s supreme leader and founder, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, in February.
The raids began on Monday in the coastal state of Nayarit near the town of El Mirador, where Mexico’s Navy worked to arrest Audias “El Jardinero” Diaz Flores. The man is described as the security chief and main enforcer for the late El Mencho. As Breitbart Texas reported, CJNG is one of six Mexican drug cartels labeled as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by Mexico’s Navy, they had been working alongside U.S. federal agencies and Mexican law enforcement forces on a 19-month case targeting Diaz Flores prior to the raid. Authorities confirmed that the high-level cartel leader was hiding in a cabin area with a security detail of more than 60 gunmen and had more than 30 vehicles at his disposal.
Mexico’s Navy deployed a large force that included dozens of Naval infantrymen in multiple vehicles, along with several military helicopters. When the military force arrived at the cabin, the man known as El Jardinero and his gunmen fled the scene instead of fighting with the heavily armed force.
Military forces carried out a large-scale manhunt where they eventually found El Jaridinero hiding in an irrigation canal. Officials claimed that no gunfire was exchanged during the raid.
After El Jardinero’s arrest, cartel gunmen in Nayarit set up a series of roadblocks and torched various vehicles in an attempt to slow down his transfer for a possible rescue, and pressure the government to release him. The move was not successful as authorities eventually moved El Jardinero to Mexico City, where he is facing various federal drug trafficking charges in Mexico. Diaz Flores is also facing several drug trafficking charges in the United States, out of the District of Columbia.
Almost at the same time that Mexico’s Navy went after El Jardinero, a separate squad of federal forces went after his best friend and right-hand man, Cesar Alejandro “El Guero Conta”. Mexican military forces described El Guero Conta as a top financial operator for the CJNG group led by El Jardinero.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart News Foundation. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart News Foundation’s Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at [email protected].
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