Navy Arrests CJNG Operator ‘R2’ and 19 Others in Guadalajara

Mexican Navy special operations personnel arrested Rafael Álvarez Ayala, known as “R2,” and 19 other people in Guadalajara on Sunday after a shootout at a restaurant and hookah lounge, according to Mexico News Daily. Federal authorities describe Álvarez as the leader of “Los Rs,” a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

Álvarez was shot in the abdomen, leg and arm and taken to a hospital in Guadalajara, where he reportedly underwent surgery. A navy member was also wounded, but the federal Security Ministry (SSPC) said the injury does not threaten his life.

Where the shootout happened

The clash took place at the Sabea restaurant and hookah lounge. Álvarez reportedly arrived there 20 hours before he was shot and arrested on Sunday afternoon. Authorities said the arrest happened at a restaurant in Zapopan, but Sabea is in Guadalajara’s Vallarta Norte neighborhood, near the boundary with Zapopan.

The navy and the SSPC said the suspects opened fire first and navy personnel returned fire. The SSPC described the other 19 detainees as “alleged lawbreakers” and said they were handed to the appropriate authorities.

Who R2 is and what he is accused of

Federal authorities link Álvarez to the Nov. 1, 2025, assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. His brother Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as “R1,” is identified as the mastermind of that killing and was arrested in Jalisco in July. Both brothers were arrested in 2012, spent a decade in prison and were released in 2022.

Security Minister Omar García Harfuch said a judge in Michoacán issued an arrest warrant for R2 on a homicide charge, and that he also faced a warrant for extradition to the United States. The DEA said he is wanted there on federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.

García Harfuch wrote that Los Rs are mainly involved in extortion, drug trafficking, homicide, unlawful deprivation of liberty, kidnapping and attacks against authorities. He said their extortion victims include business owners and avocado producers. The SSPC called Álvarez “one of the main generators of violence in the region,” referring to Jalisco and neighboring Michoacán.

Reforma, citing Mexico’s Defense Ministry, reported that R1, R2 and a third brother, Jesús Santiago, known as “R3,” once took direct orders from former CJNG leader Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes. Oseguera was fatally wounded in a military operation in Jalisco in February.

How authorities located him

García Harfuch said the National Intelligence Center (CNI) and information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led authorities to Álvarez. The SSPC said the Michoacán Attorney General’s Office also supplied information. The Navy Ministry (SEMAR) and García Harfuch announced the arrests on social media Sunday afternoon.

The DEA called Álvarez “a senior leader of the CJNG terrorist organization” and commended the SSPC, SEMAR, the Defense Ministry (SEDENA) and the CNI.

Why it matters for Guadalajara residents

The shootout happened in a central Guadalajara neighborhood near the Zapopan line, not in a remote area. The sources do not report any civilian injuries, and they do not describe closures or other changes to daily life in the area. Álvarez’s extradition warrant means his case could also move to the United States, though the sources do not say when or whether that will happen.

Source: Mexico News Daily