A cartel cell leader wanted in connection with the murder of a Michoacan mayor was captured in Zapopan, Jalisco, on Sunday after a gun battle with Mexican naval forces left him wounded, authorities said.
Rafael “R2” Alvarez Ayala, head of the “Rs” cell of the Cartel Jalisco New Generation, was tracked to a restaurant in Zapopan as Navy infantry personnel attempted to serve a warrant, according to information Mexico’s Security cabinet provided to Breitbart Texas. His security detail opened fire on the approaching troops, triggering a shootout in which one naval infantryman suffered a minor gunshot wound.
Alvarez himself sustained multiple gunshot wounds during the confrontation. Military personnel took him to a local hospital, where he remained under heavy guard. Nineteen of his gunmen and close associates were also arrested at the scene.
Mexico’s top security official, Omar Garcia Harfuch, announced the arrest on social media.
A Cell Passed Between Brothers
Alvarez took over leadership of the Rs cell earlier this year after his brother, Ramon Angeles “R1” Alvarez Ayala, was arrested by Mexican troops, according to prior Breitbart Texas reporting.
Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office told Breitbart Texas that R2 is wanted in connection with several crimes, including the murder of Carlos Manzo, a Michoacan mayor known for publicly confronting cartels and pushing for them to be designated as terrorist organizations in Mexico.
He also faces weapons charges, additional murder cases, and organized crime and drug trafficking charges. Alvarez had been arrested and jailed twice before, in 2014 and 2022, but was released both times under circumstances that raised questions about the integrity of Mexico’s legal system, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
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