Mexico arrests alleged major leader of Jalisco cartel

Key points

• Rafael Alvarez, alias R2, was arrested in Zapopan on Sunday in an operation aided by US DEA intelligence.
• Mexico's security minister said Alvarez's cell was linked to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide and kidnapping.
• Alvarez was wounded in a shootout and faces homicide charges in Mexico and an extradition warrant to the US.

Mexican authorities have arrested Rafael Alvarez, known as R2, an alleged leader of a cell within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of the country's two main criminal groups. The operation took place on Sunday in Zapopan, in the Guadalajara metropolitan area, Mexico's Navy said, and followed intelligence shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch said Alvarez is suspected of heading the CJNG's Los Rs cell. He said on X that Alvarez was wounded in a shootout during the arrest and is receiving medical care. Nineteen other people were also captured, with Mexico's National Intelligence Center among the agencies taking part.

Charges and warrants

Harfuch said Alvarez has an outstanding arrest warrant in Mexico for aggravated homicide and another warrant for extradition to the US. Authorities link him to the killing of at least 19 people, including last year's murder of Carlos Manzo, the crime-fighting mayor of Uruapan in Michoacan state.

According to Harfuch, the cell's activities included extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attacks on authorities. He said victims of its extortion included business owners and avocado producers.

This cell is mainly linked to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attacks against authorities

— Mexico's Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch

Cartel under pressure

The CJNG operates in Jalisco and Michoacan and was designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the US government in 2025. It competes with the Sinaloa Cartel for drug trafficking into the US.

Since the death of founder Nemesio El Mencho Oseguera in a military operation in February, several of its top leaders have been apprehended. Reports of kidnapping for ransom continue in areas where the cartels are active, and an estimated 134,000 people are believed missing across Mexico, with Jalisco recording the highest numbers of disappearances.