Overview
- Federal forces detained Rafael Álvarez Ayala, known as “R2,” in Zapopan after an operation that resulted in a firefight and left him wounded while he received medical attention.
- Authorities arrested about 19 other people in the Zapopan raid, and officials say R2 faces a Mexican arrest warrant for homicidio calificado plus an arrest order tied to a U.S. Department of Justice indictment.
- Intelligence work by Mexico’s Centro Nacional de Inteligencia and information from the U.S. DEA were central to locating R2, officials said.
- Separately, Fausto Alejandro “El Bolillo” was captured in Los Reyes, Michoacán in an operation on the weekend and is under investigation for extortion of producers and a 2024 activist murder; the Río Bravo mayor was also found alive after a reported abduction.
- The arrests target a CJNG-linked cell accused of extorting avocado growers, trafficking drugs, kidnappings and attacks on officials, and they will move into Mexican criminal proceedings with possible extradition steps to the United States.