The alleged leader of a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and 19 other people were detained in Guadalajara on Sunday after a shootout with members of the special operations unit of the Mexican Navy.
Rafael Álvarez Ayala — a man known as “R2” who federal authorities say is the leader of the “Los Rs” cell of the CJNG and linked to the 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo — was shot before he was arrested and taken to a hospital in Guadalajara. He reportedly underwent surgery after being shot in his abdomen, leg and arm.
Rafael Álvarez Ayala is the brother of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala (“R1”), identified as the mastermind behind the Nov. 1, 2025, assassination of former Mayor of Uruapan Carlos Manzo. (@SEMAR_mx/X)
The clash between the alleged criminals and navy personnel occurred at the Sabea restaurant and hookah lounge, where Álvarez reportedly arrived 20 hours before he was shot and arrested on Sunday afternoon. Authorities said that his arrest occurred at a restaurant in Zapopan, but Sabea is actually in Guadalajara’s Vallarta Norte neighborhood, near the state capital’s municipal boundary with Zapopan.
According to the navy and the federal Security Ministry (SSPC), the alleged criminals began shooting first and navy personnel returned fire.
A member of the navy was also shot during the gun battle, but the injury doesn’t pose a risk to his life, according to the SSPC.
R2 is the brother of R1, the alleged mastermind of Carlos Manzo’s assassination
Rafael Álvarez Ayala is the brother of Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, identified as the mastermind behind the Nov. 1, 2025, assassination of Carlos Manzo. Ramón Ángel, a “Los Rs” leader known as R1, was arrested in Jalisco in July. Both he and his brother were previously arrested in 2012 and spent a decade in prison before their release in 2022.
The Navy Ministry (SEMAR) and federal Security Minister Omar García Harfuch reported the arrest of R2 and 19 other people in social media posts on Sunday afternoon. In a statement, the SSPC described the 19 additional suspects as “alleged lawbreakers” and said they were turned over to the “appropriate authorities.”
García Harfuch said that authorities located Álvarez thanks to intelligence work carried out by the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and information shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Michoacán Attorney General’s Office also provided information, according to the SSPC.
García Harfuch said that a judge in Michoacán had issued an arrest warrant for R2 on a homicide charge. García Harfuch also said that Álvarez was subject to an arrest warrant for the purpose of extradition to the United States.
In his social media post, the security minister also wrote that “Los Rs” are “mainly” involved in “extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attacks against authorities.”
The criminal cell’s “extortion victims” include business owners and avocado producers, he added.
The SSPC called Álvarez “one of the main generators of violence in the region.” The ministry was referring to Jalisco and the neighboring state of Michoacán.
R1, R2 and another brother, Jesús Santiago, known as “R3,” used to take direct orders from former CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, according to a Reforma newspaper report that cited information from Mexico’s Defense Ministry. Oseguera was fatally wounded in a Mexican military operation in Jalisco in February.
DEA commends Mexican authorities for arrest of R2
The DEA acknowledged the arrest of R2 in a social media post. The agency called Álvarez “a senior leader of the CJNG terrorist organization responsible for drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and deadly violence across Mexico.”
Mexican authorities have arrested Rafael Álvarez Ayala, alias “R2,” a senior leader of the CJNG terrorist organization responsible for drug trafficking, extortion, kidnapping, and deadly violence across Mexico.
Intelligence shared by DEA helped Mexican authorities locate R2, who is also wanted in the United States on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
DEA commends the decisive actions of Mexico’s @SSPCMexico , @SEMAR_mx , SEDENA, and CNI in bringing this dangerous cartel leader into custody.
Criminal organizations operate across borders. So do the partnerships determined to dismantle them.
#DEA #CJNG #CounterNarcotics
@DEATerryCole @TheJusticeDept
— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) November 8, 2026
“Intelligence shared by DEA helped Mexican authorities locate R2, who is also wanted in the United States on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges,” the DEA said.
“DEA commends the decisive actions of Mexico’s @SSPCMexico, @SEMAR_mx, SEDENA and CNI in bringing this dangerous cartel leader into custody. Criminal organizations operate across borders. So do the partnerships determined to dismantle them,” the agency wrote.
With reports from Reforma, El Financiero and N+
