Mexico Arrests CJNG Cell Leader El R-1 in 2 High-Profile 2025 Killings

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 3

Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as El R-1, is being held at Altiplano maximum-security prison after Mexican forces arrested him and tied him to the 2025 murders of influencer Valeria Márquez and Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.
Authorities said new evidence from the arrest indicates Álvarez Ayala ordered Márquez's killing after his son Francisco—her former boyfriend—allegedly threatened her repeatedly and asked his father to carry out the attack.
García Harfuch identified El R-1 as head of Los Rs, a violent CJNG-linked cell operating in Michoacán and Jalisco that authorities accuse of extortion, murders and drug trafficking.
Manzo, an anti-cartel mayor, was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025; officials say 31 people have been arrested in that case, while Francisco remains at large and both investigations continue.
The case adds to pressure on CJNG, which the U.S. Treasury called one of the world's most powerful cartels when it sanctioned more than 50 Mexico-based people and entities in July.