Following months of investigation and a frantic manhunt, the Security Cabinet has arrested one of Michoacán’s most wanted men. Ramón Álvarez Ayala, alias “R-1,” was taken into custody in Atotonilco, Jalisco, as the alleged mastermind behind the murder of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo last November.
Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced the arrest on social media this Thursday, identifying the suspect as the top leader of “Los Rs”—a “violent” criminal cell linked to the CJNG that engages in extortion, homicide, and drug trafficking across various parts of Michoacán.
The arrest took place around midday when agents from the Federal Secretariat of Security and special forces military personnel arrived in Atotonilco. The operation triggered a response from Álvarez Ayala’s bodyguards, who opened fire on the authorities. “At this moment, one person has lost their life,” the Federal Security Secretary stated in an interview with Joaquín López-Dóriga.
“R-1” led a criminal group with influence in Apatzingán, Uruapan, and Morelia, where they exerted control over producers, business owners, and families. “With this arrest, the total number of people detained for the cowardly murder of Carlos Manzo has reached 31,” the security chief noted.
Manzo’s widow, Grecia Quiroz, acknowledged the work of federal authorities on social media following “R-1’s” arrest: “Justice is beginning, but it is not yet complete.” The current mayor of Uruapan—who assumed the role following Manzo’s death—indicated that this progress “is the beginning of everything lying behind” her husband’s murder. “I am convinced there is still much more to clarify; I demand a serious investigation that pursues the matter to its ultimate conclusion,” she stated in her message.
“R-1” had been on the priority list in Michoacán since last November, when one of his men was arrested and identified him as the person behind instructions—issued via chat—to shoot Manzo. R-1 had previously been arrested in 2012; after serving a decade in prison, he was released three years ago by court order—a decision made amidst the corruption allegations by Andrés Manuel López Obrador that spurred judicial reform.
Jorge Armando ‘N’ served as the link between the hitmen and R-1; he was the intermediary who issued the orders to carry out the shooting of Manzo during Day of the Dead celebrations in the town square. The attack occurred after the politician had spoken out against the reign of terror imposed by organized crime in Michoacán and called for greater security support from both state and federal governments. The mayor’s bodyguards managed to kill the assassin: Víctor Manuel Ubaldo, a 17-year-old methamphetamine addict who had run away from home a week prior to the attack.
Ubaldo was accompanied by other hitmen who fled the scene but were found murdered hours later. In intercepted conversations, the young men discussed with Jorge Armando ‘N’ how to track, stalk, and approach Manzo to secure a clear shot. R-1 appeared in these chats as the supreme boss. “The boss sends his thanks and asks that we avoid any arrests. Please follow the instructions he sends,” read one of the messages. García Harfuch has repeatedly insisted that the “Rs” are a “highly local” cell led by Álvarez Ayala and his brother Rafael—alias “R-2″—along with other members who operated with the tacit approval of state officials who leaked information to them.
