The Brother of One of the Top CJNG Leaders, El Jardinero, Killed in Mazatlán, Sinaloa

"HEARST" for Borderland Beat 

Hitmen shot Jesús Miguel Flores Silva, the brother of Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion’s El Jardinero, and his girlfriend to death outside a nightclub in Mazatlan, Sinaloa.

Details of the Shooting

On the night of Sunday, November 13, 2022, a shooting occurred in the coastal vacation city of Mazatlan, in the state of Sinaloa. 

The victims of the attack were 22 year old Jesús Miguel Flores Silva and his 25 year old girlfriend, Estefani* Xio "N". Jesús Miguel Flores Silva is allegedly the brother of Audias Flores Silva, alias "El Jardinero", one the top leadership figures within the CJNG. 

The couple was shot at approximately 10:30 pm, outside of a night club. The gunfire was reported to the emergency phone line quickly after it occurred. Both paramedics and officers were dispatched to check on the reported location.

There they found a man with gunshot wounds collapsed in the middle of the street and nearby a woman lying on the ground, facedown, with gunshot wounds on her back. 

Newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán further describes their location, saying "Jesus was left lifeless on the street parallel to the boulevard, while Estefania's body was left lying on the right lane going from south to north." By the time authorities arrived on scene, both victims no longer had vital signs. 

Officers searched the area nearby for the attackers but were unable to locate any suspects and no arrests related to the incident have been reported so far. 

The couple was shot outside of Privé nightclub, according to Sinaloa Hoy. Whether the couple had just recently left Privé or were simply walking by has not been reported. This club is located on Mazatlan Marina Boulevard, near where it intersects with Sábalo Cerritos Boulevard. This area of the city has multiple other nightclubs nearby. 

Details about Means and Motive

Some articles write that both Jesus and Estefani were from Tijuana, Baja California, while other articles only describe Estefani as such. Los Noticieristas alleges that the couple traveled to Mazatlan directly from Tijuana. The couple were in Mazatlan on vacation, according to El Sol. 

Radio Formula reports that the shooters were riding a motorcycle when they attacked the victims. Meanwhile El Sol's reporters spoke to officers at the scene and they learned that "the gunmen followed the man and the woman, and attacked them as soon as they could." 

If these details are accurate, it may suggest that this was a premeditated, targeted attack, rather than a heat of the moment dispute with another club patron. It is unclear if Jesús Miguel was involved or not involved in cartel activity. 

 

Within narco-worshiping culture, supposed “rules of engagement” -such as an imperative to not harm cartel family members while they are on vacation- are often heralded as signs of civility. The peaceful vacation that El Marro and his family previously took in Mazatlan is often touted as an example of “honor among thieves”. 

However, these same people often neglect to mention that CDS and Marro’s CSRL were not at war. He was not in “enemy territory”. Whether a similar trip to Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, would have gone so well for Marro is doubtful. 

These attempts to rationalize the methodology of narcos often do not come from a place of bad intentions. More often they mirror the mindset seen in abuse victims who are attempting to understand and justify the behavior of their abuser. 

If cartel groups have infiltrated and corrupted every level of the institutions which govern over you, you’d like to believe that there are still limits, rules, evils that cannot be done to you. 

It's a great deal harder to reckon with an uncomfortable truth:

Every single Mexican cartel has at some point killed uninvolved family members of their rivals.

There is no honor among thieves, and furthermore, there was never an era in which such things existed. 

*Some publications spell her name as Estefany or reverse the order of her names to read "Xio Estefani". 

Sources: Radio Formula, El Sol de Mazatlán, Sinaloa Hoy, Luz Noticias, Los Noticieristas, Ras Noticias, TV Pacifico Article 1, Article 2, Agenda Viral, Debate