R2 and Navy member wounded in Zapopan operation
Original reporting: El Diario de Juárez
What happened
El Diario de Juárez reports that authorities arrested alleged Los Rs leader Rafael Álvarez Ayala and 19 others; he and a Navy member received medical attention.
Reporting and context
Rafael Álvarez Ayala, known as “R2,” was arrested alongside 19 other people in a Navy operation in Zapopan, Jalisco, according to El Diario de Juárez. Authorities identify him as the alleged leader of Los Rs, a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
El Diario de Juárez reported that R2 and a Navy member were wounded and were receiving medical attention. Navy special operations personnel repelled an armed attack during the deployment, and the Navy said the situation was brought under control.
Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said Álvarez Ayala has an outstanding warrant for alleged aggravated homicide from the First Criminal Court in Apatzingán, Michoacán, as well as a warrant for extradition to the United States. The report also noted an alleged link to the killing of Carlos Manzo, without detailing the evidence for that allegation.
The operation followed intelligence work by Mexico’s National Intelligence Center in coordination with the federal Security Ministry and information shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the outlet reported.
Authorities link Los Rs to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, unlawful confinement, kidnapping and attacks on authorities. Business owners and avocado producers are among its alleged extortion victims. The reported 20 arrests refer to this operation; the article gives no broader arrest total.
Original publication: El Diario de Juárez.