Mexican authorities have arrested Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known by the nickname "El R1", one of the main leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who is accused of ordering two murders that shocked public opinion in Mexico.
The operation was carried out on Thursday by special forces in the state of Jalisco. During the intervention, a member of the suspect's security team was killed.
The Federal Secretary of Security, Omar García Harfuch, stated that the arrest constitutes an important blow to one of the most violent criminal structures in the country.
According to him, "El R1", who was released from prison in 2022, is suspected of having organized several serious acts of violence in the region.
One of the crimes he is accused of is related to the murder of 23-year-old influencer Valeria Márquez, who was executed in May last year while live streaming on TikTok from her beauty salon in Zapopan, in the state of Jalisco.
According to the investigation, the perpetrator, disguised as a courier, entered the salon premises, asked him to confirm his identity and then shot him twice with a firearm. Footage of the broadcast was widely shared on social networks.
Prosecutors allege that Márquez had a romantic relationship with Francisco Álvarez, one of the sons of “El R1.” According to authorities, he threatened the young woman several times and then asked her father to organize her elimination. His son and the alleged perpetrator of the execution remain at large.
Investigators also link "El R1" to the murder of the mayor of the city of Uruapan, Carlos Manzo, which occurred in November during the traditional Day of the Dead celebrations.
Manzo was at a public event with his family when a teenager approached him and shot him several times in the back. The assailant was killed on the spot by the mayor's bodyguards, while Manzo died in hospital.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico. It is accused of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine, as well as extorting local businesses. The US administration has declared the organization a foreign terrorist organization.
The arrest of “El R1” came after months of investigation and intensive intelligence work. The operation also included a car chase in the town of Atotonilco el Alto, and Mexican authorities have not said whether the United States was directly involved in the operation.
Among the first to welcome the arrest was the US ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, who declared that "those who generate violence and traffic fentanyl will be held accountable for their actions."