Mexico arrests alleged Jalisco cartel leader known as “R2”
Mexican authorities on Sunday arrested Rafael Alvarez, suspected head of the “Los Rs” cell of the CJNG cartel, in Zapopan near Guadalajara. The operation relied on intelligence shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
Mexico's Navy said that Rafael Alvarez, known by the alias “R2”, was arrested on Sunday, 8 November, in the city of Zapopan, part of the Guadalajara metropolitan area in Jalisco state. He is suspected of leading the “Los Rs” cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's two main criminal groups. The operation drew on intelligence provided by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Mexico's 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 said its extortion victims included business owners and avocado producers.
Wounded during the arrest
Harfuch wrote on X that Alvarez was wounded in a shootout that erupted during the arrest and is receiving medical care. Alvarez faces an outstanding arrest warrant in Mexico for aggravated homicide, as well as an extradition warrant from the United States. Other agencies, including Mexico's National Intelligence Center, took part in the operation, in which 19 other people were also detained.
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, an avocado-producing region.
Cartel background
The CJNG operates in Jalisco and Michoacan states. The US government designated it a “foreign terrorist organisation” in 2025, and the group is known for violent tactics and attacks on authorities. It competes with the Sinaloa Cartel over drug trafficking into the US.
Since the death of CJNG founder Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera in a military operation in February, several of its top leaders have been apprehended. Even so, kidnappings for ransom are still reported in areas where the cartels are active. An estimated 134,000 people are believed to be missing across Mexico, and Jalisco has recorded the country's highest number of disappearances.
