Mexico arrests Jalisco Cartel leader Rafael Alvarez

Mexican authorities announced Sunday the arrest of Rafael Alvarez, alias “R2,” a regional leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.

Mexico's Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch said on X that Alvarez was wounded in a shootout during the capture operation and was receiving medical care. García Harfuch said another 19 people were arrested with him.

Authorities said Alvarez headed a cell linked to homicides, drug trafficking and extortion of avocado industry entrepreneurs. They also linked him to the killing a year ago of Carlos Manzo, a popular mayor known for confronting organised crime.

García Harfuch said Alvarez was located with information shared by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, known as CJNG, is one of Mexico's two main criminal groups and operates in Jalisco and Michoacan states. The US government designated the group a foreign terrorist organisation in 2025.

The cartel competes with the Sinaloa Cartel for drug trafficking into the United States. Several of its top leaders have been apprehended since the death of its founder, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, in a military operation in February.