Mexico arrests alleged major leader of Jalisco cartel
Mexican authorities have arrested Rafael Alvarez, alias 'R2', an alleged leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), in a shootout in Zapopan.
The arrest of Rafael Alvarez, alias 'R2', was announced by Mexico's Navy on Sunday. Alvarez is suspected of heading the CJNG's 'Los Rs' cell in the Guadalajara metropolitan area.
The operation in Zapopan resulted in a shootout during which Alvarez was wounded and is now receiving medical care.
Mexico's Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch stated that the cell is mainly linked to extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, illegal deprivation of liberty, kidnapping, and attacks against authorities.
He added that victims of the group's extortion included 'business owners and avocado producers'.
Alvarez has an outstanding arrest warrant in Mexico for aggravated homicide and another for extradition to the US.
Authorities, including those from Mexico's National Intelligence Center, also took part in the operation, which captured 19 other people.
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 the avocado-producing Michoacan state.
The CJNG, which competes with the Sinaloa Cartel for drug trafficking into the US, was designated a 'foreign terrorist organisation' by the US government in 2025.
Since the death of the CJNG founder, Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera, in February, several of its top leaders have been apprehended.
Despite these arrests, reports of kidnapping for ransom persist in cartel-active areas. An estimated 134,000 people are believed to be missing across Mexico, with Jalisco recording the country's highest numbers of disappearances.
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