Mexican naval forces shot and captured Rafael “R2” Alvarez Ayala, leader of the “Rs” cell of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation, following a gunfight Sunday in Zapopan, Jalisco. Nineteen of his gunmen and associates were also arrested.
According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by Mexico’s Security cabinet, Navy infantrymen located Alvarez at a restaurant in Zapopan while attempting to serve a warrant. His security detail opened fire on the troops, triggering a shootout in which one naval infantryman suffered a minor gunshot wound. Alvarez himself sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the confrontation and was taken to a local hospital, where he remains under heavy guard.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, announced the arrest on social media.
Alvarez took control of the Rs cell after his brother, Ramon Angeles “R1” Alvarez Ayala, was arrested by Mexican troops earlier this year.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office told Breitbart Texas that R2 is wanted for a string of crimes, including his alleged connection to the murder of Carlos Manzo, a mayor in Michoacan who had publicly fought cartels and pushed for them to be formally designated as terrorist organizations in Mexico. Alvarez is also sought on weapons charges, additional murders, organized crime and drug trafficking offenses.
He had been jailed twice before, in 2014 and 2022, but was released both times under circumstances Breitbart Texas describes as suspicious, pointing to longstanding concerns about corruption in Mexico’s legal system.
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