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Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as “El R-1,” was arrested during a coordinated military and law enforcement operation for allegedly leading Los Rs, a violent criminal organization affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced the arrest and revealed that the case has produced evidence connecting Álvarez Ayala’s organization to multiple serious crimes across the region.
Authorities allege that Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo, who was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations. Manzo had been a vocal opponent of organized crime and worked to eliminate corruption within local police departments before his death.
The investigation also linked Álvarez Ayala’s criminal cell to the May 2025 killing of Valeria Márquez, a 23-year-old beauty influencer with more than 100,000 TikTok followers who was shot while livestreaming from her salon in Zapopan, Jalisco. Márquez’s former boyfriend is Álvarez Ayala’s son, Francisco, who authorities say threatened her repeatedly after their relationship ended.
García Harfuch stated that Francisco allegedly asked his father to carry out the feminicide, according to evidence discovered during the investigation. Francisco remains at large, while authorities have arrested another individual suspected of participating in Márquez’s killing.
Los Rs operates across Michoacán and Jalisco and is involved in extortion, drug trafficking, and murders, according to García Harfuch. The arrest came as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle the organization, with 31 people arrested in connection with Manzo’s killing alone.
Álvarez Ayala is currently detained at Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. The U.S. Treasury Department previously designated the CJNG as one of the world’s most powerful cartels and sanctioned more than 50 individuals and entities linked to the organization in July.
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