Mexican authorities have announced the arrest of Rafael Alvarez, alias “R2”, who is suspected of leading a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country’s two leading criminal groups.
The arrest took place on Sunday in Zapopan, a city in the Guadalajara metropolitan area. Mexico’s Navy said the operation relied on intelligence provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Alvarez is suspected of heading the group’s “Los Rs” cell.
Cell tied to extortion and killings
Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said the cell is mainly linked to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attacks against authorities. He added that the group’s extortion victims included “business owners and avocado producers.”
Harfuch said on X that Alvarez was wounded in a shootout during the arrest and is receiving medical care. He also noted an outstanding arrest warrant in Mexico for aggravated homicide, plus a separate warrant for extradition to the US.
Alvarez is linked to the killing of at least 19 people, including last year’s murder of Carlos Manzo, the popular crime-fighting mayor of Uruapan in Michoacan state. The operation also captured 19 other people, with the National Intelligence Center among the agencies involved.
CJNG reach and kidnappings continue
The CJNG operates in Jalisco and Michoacan and was designated a “foreign terrorist organisation” by the US government in 2025. The group is known for violent tactics and attacks on authorities, and it competes with the Sinaloa Cartel for drug trafficking into the US.
Several of its top leaders have been apprehended since founder Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera died in a military operation in February. Kidnapping for ransom is still reported in cartel areas, and an estimated 134,000 people are believed missing across Mexico, with Jalisco recording the highest number of disappearances.
