Mexico says it has arrested an alleged cartel leader accused of ordering the killing of a Mexican mayor last year.
Ramón Álvarez Ayala — also known under the alias “R1” — is the alleged leader of a segment of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
“This action represents a significant advance in President Claudia Sheinbaum’s strategy to combat extortion and weaken criminal structures through intelligence, investigation, and coordination,” Omar Garcia Harfuch, Mexico’s security minister, said in a post on social media.
Mexico accuses Álvarez of orchestrating the assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of the city of Uruapan in the Mexican state of Michoacán, in late 2025. That killing sparked outcry across Mexico, including accusations that the government wasn’t doing enough to protect its people from cartel violence.
Mexico now says 31 people have been detained in relation to that killing.
In a statement on social media, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Terry Cole congratulated Mexican security forces on the arrest.
"Congratulations on the successful operation and arrest of R1 by @SSPCMexico and the Special Forces of the Mexican Army @Defensamx1,” #DEA Administrator Cole https://t.co/n7vfARRcyg
— DEA HQ (@DEAHQ) July 31, 2026
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