“El R1”, The Silent Operator Of The CJNG Who Rebuilt A Criminal Empire In Michoacán

“R1,” an operative for the CJNG, has rebuilt his criminal empire in Michoacán, consolidating his position as a key figure in regional drug trafficking.

For more than two decades, the name of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, identified by the alias “El R1,” has appeared in intelligence files as one of the key men of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), due to his close ties to the criminal group’s leader, Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho.”

Although his name has recently gained media attention after the Secretary of Public Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, accused him of ordering the assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo Rodríguez, his influence dates back to the now-defunct Milenio Cartel, from where he rose from a mid-level position to the top ranks of the CJNG.

Following the arrest of Jorge Armando “N”, “El Licenciado”, the alleged mastermind behind the murder of the mayor of Uruapan, the investigation points upwards in the chain of command and once again puts the most influential regional leader of the CJNG in Michoacán under scrutiny.

Rise from the Milenio Cartel

Intelligence reports indicate that “El R1” began his criminal career in the early 2000s with the Milenio Cartel, where he “started from the bottom.” It was during this time that he met Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho,” whose trust he gained, eventually becoming one of his closest associates. After the cartel’s collapse, both men migrated to the newly formed CJNG.

However, his criminal career was cut short in September 2012 when a federal operation in the Providencia neighborhood of Guadalajara led to his arrest along with two of his brothers: Rafael, “El R2,” and Jesús Santiago Álvarez Ayala. All three were apprehended with rifles, handguns, ammunition, and communications equipment.

By then, authorities already considered him the second most important man in the CJNG.

R1 was sentenced in 2016 to 20 years in prison for organized crime, but his story took a turn in 2022 after a series of appeals. Through these appeals, federal judge Yolanda Chávez Montelongo acquitted him and ordered his release on November 19.

The Álvarez Ayala Clan: A Family Criminal Franchise

Ramón Álvarez Ayala’s power cannot be explained without considering his family structure. Not only is “El R1” identified as an operator for the CJNG in Michoacán, but his brother Rafael, “El R2,” is also listed as the operational head and in charge of logistics; Jesús Santiago, his brothers’ bodyguard; and Roldán Álvarez Ayala, former mayor of Apatzingán and his brother-in-law, who faces extortion charges and was arrested during the “Michoacanazo” operation.

According to documents from the Mexican Ministry of National Defense (Defensa) and the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), since 2012, this family has been identified as responsible for coordinating drug cartel roadblocks, expanding the territorial control of the CJNG cartel, and unleashing violence in Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Michoacán.

In the criminal organization’s structure, Ramón and Rafael are the central figures, while “El R1” directs the expansion and territorial control, “El R2” maintains operational liaisons.

“Los Cannabis,” the CJNG’s Operating Cell in Uruapan

After his release in 2022, “El R1” resumed CJNG operations in Tierra Caliente and the avocado-growing region of Uruapan. From there, he created the cell known as “Los Cannabis,” an armed wing responsible for drug trafficking and extorting producers and business owners.

According to reports from federal authorities, “Los Cannabis” became the primary target of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.

The breaking point came two months before his assassination, when municipal police arrested René Belmonte Aguilar, “El Rhino,” the plaza boss and a member of the cell, without firing a shot. Carlos Manzo broadcast the arrest live on his personal social media accounts, which enraged the group.

On the night of November 1st, during the candle-lighting celebrations in Morelos Plaza in Uruapan, prior to the Day of the Dead, the mayor was murdered by Victor Manuel N.

Following the announcement yesterday of the capture of Jorge Armando N., alias “El Licenciado,” the line of inquiry pointing directly to “El R1” as the commander who ordered the mayor’s murder has been reactivated.

According to information revealed by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, the head of the cell in Uruapan allegedly confessed that his immediate superior was Ramón Álvarez Ayala.

The State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) documented how, through an encrypted chat, orders were given to monitor the mayor, track his movements, and carry out the attack even if he was accompanied.

Criminal Power and Political Connections

Intelligence reports indicate that “R1” maintains a political front through his brother Roldán, who has held municipal and state positions in Michoacán and appeared on the Morena party’s proportional representation candidate lists in 2018 and 2024.

Roldán Álvarez Ayala has been accused of extortion and was among the officials arrested in the Michoacanazo scandal.

However, Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, “R1,” remains the central figure and is identified as the regional head of the CJNG cartel; leader of “Los Cannabis”; and head of the Álvarez Ayala clan, a group that maintains its criminal operations thanks in part to its political connections in Michoacán.

Sources: Contramuro, Cartel Insider Archives