Authorities arrest R2 and allege Manzo case link
Original reporting: Proyecto Puente
What happened
Proyecto Puente reports 20 arrests in the Zapopan operation and an alleged connection to the killing of former Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo.
Reporting and context
Federal forces arrested Rafael “N,” known as “R2,” and 19 other people in Zapopan, Jalisco, in an operation targeting an alleged leader of Los Rs, a Jalisco New Generation Cartel cell, according to Proyecto Puente, citing Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch.
The Navy’s Special Operations Unit led the deployment with federal Security Ministry personnel and Army special forces. García Harfuch said intelligence work by Mexico’s National Intelligence Center and information exchanged with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration helped locate the suspect.
Proyecto Puente reported that Rafael “N” was wounded during a confrontation between security forces and alleged members of the group and received medical attention. García Harfuch described the information as preliminary and said it would be updated as investigations progressed.
The suspect has an outstanding warrant for alleged aggravated homicide from the First Criminal Court in Apatzingán, Michoacán, and a warrant for extradition to the United States, the report said. García Harfuch linked Los Rs, which operates in Jalisco and Michoacán, to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, unlawful confinement, kidnapping and attacks on authorities. Business owners and avocado producers were among its alleged extortion victims.
The outlet also reported that authorities link R2 and his brother Ramón Ángel “N,” known as “R1,” who was recently detained, to the killing of former Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo Rodríguez on November 1, 2025, during the Festival de las Velas. It attributed to the federal Security Ministry and prosecutors the allegation that the killing was retaliation for the mayor’s operations against the CJNG, particularly after the fall of local leader René, known as “El Rino.”
Proyecto Puente put total arrests in the Manzo case at more than 30, including alleged gunmen, operators and people within the municipal government’s structure. That case-wide figure is separate from the 20 arrests reported in the Zapopan operation.
Original publication: Proyecto Puente.