Alleged CJNG figure El R2 arrested in Zapopan

Reporting and context

Rafael Álvarez Ayala, known as “El R2” and identified by Mexican authorities as a senior figure in a Jalisco New Generation Cartel cell, was arrested in Zapopan, Jalisco, in a federal operation that also detained 19 other people, according to Publimetro México.

Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Álvarez Ayala was wounded during a confrontation and received medical attention. The report, updated November 8, said authorities had not disclosed the identities or alleged roles of the other detainees, the full toll of the confrontation or an update on his condition.

The Navy’s Special Operations Unit and the federal Security and Citizen Protection Ministry led the operation, supported by Army special forces. Publimetro México reported that intelligence from Mexico’s National Intelligence Center and information shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration helped locate him.

Authorities had identified Álvarez Ayala as a possible successor to his brother Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, “El R1,” at the head of “Los Rs.” It reports that El R1 was arrested July 30, 2026, in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, over alleged criminal activity and an alleged connection to the killing of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. Asked about succession on July 31, García Harfuch pointed to El R2 while acknowledging other commanders could continue the group’s operations.

The federal investigations described in the report place the network in Apatzingán, Uruapan, Morelia, metropolitan Guadalajara and other parts of Michoacán and Jalisco. Authorities attribute extortion, drug trafficking, killings, kidnappings, unlawful detention and attacks on security personnel to the group. Investigators allege its members demanded protection payments from avocado and lime growers, businesses, merchants and transport operators.

Álvarez Ayala has an outstanding aggravated-homicide arrest warrant issued by the First Criminal Court in Apatzingán, as well as a warrant for arrest for extradition to the United States, the outlet said.

According to Publimetro México’s account of an August 26, 2026, U.S. Justice Department announcement, a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia charged both brothers, identifying them as regional CJNG commanders. The indictment alleges a conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for the U.S. market, along with firearms offenses tied to drug trafficking. U.S. authorities placed the alleged conduct between 2004 and December 2023.

Any extradition would require the applicable legal process. The report leaves unresolved the other detainees’ legal status and whether the arrests will disrupt the extortion networks authorities attribute to Los Rs.

Original publication: Publimetro México.