Mexico Arrests Alleged Cartel Commander R2 Wanted by U.S.
The DEA said the arrest followed intelligence sharing with Mexican agencies, and Alvarez Ayala faces U.S. drug and weapons charges plus Mexican homicide allegations.
- On Sunday, Mexican security forces arrested Rafael Alvarez Ayala, alias "R2," and 19 others in Zapopan, Jalisco, as an alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel faction "Los Rs" using intelligence shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration .
- Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said "Los Rs" operates in Jalisco and Michoacán, engaging in "extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping, and attacks on authorities," with victims including business owners and avocado producers.
- During the operation, naval personnel engaged in a firefight where Alvarez Ayala was wounded, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration confirmed he faces federal drug trafficking and firearms charges in the United States.
- Investigators linked the detainee to the 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo; he is the brother of Ramon Alvarez Ayala, arrested in July as an alleged mastermind of the killing.
- The DEA commended the "decisive actions" of Mexican agencies, stating "criminal organizations operate across borders. So do the partnerships determined to dismantle them." The arrest underscores ongoing U.S.-Mexico cooperation against cartel violence.
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As a result of intelligence cooperation with the United States, Mexican authorities have been carrying out nearly a year of captures of priority targets linked to this criminal group.
Ronald Johnson celebrated the capture of Rafael “R2”, alleged leader of a CJNG cell, and highlighted the cooperation between Mexico and the United States.
CJNG operator 'R2' and 19 others arrested following shootout with Mexican Navy in Guadalajara
Authorities located Rafael Álvarez Ayala ("R2"), the leader of the "Los Rs" cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), thanks to intelligence work carried out by the National Intelligence Center and information shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
DEA Intelligence Tipoff Leads to Arrest of Cartel Leader in Mexico
View of a bullet-riddled wall bearing the initials of the criminal group Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion at Aguililla, state of Michoacán, Mexico, on April 23, 2021. (Enrique Castro/AFP via Getty Images)
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