The alleged leader of a violent Mexican criminal cell has been arrested in connection with the assassination of a mayor, and authorities say the case has also yielded new evidence linking his organization to the livestreamed murder of a 23-year-old influencer.
Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as «El R-1,» was taken into custody during a joint military and law enforcement operation, Mexican officials said. He has been identified as the leader of Los Rs, a criminal cell linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. Officials allege that Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the November 2025 assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.
Mexican Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after the arrest. «El R-1 is identified as the main leader of Los Rs, one of the most violent criminal cells linked to the CJNG, with operations in Apatzingán, Uruapan and Morelia, Michoacán, as well as in Jalisco,» García Harfuch said in a statement. «This organization is involved in extortion, murders and drug trafficking, directly affecting producers, business owners and families in the region.»
The investigation also connected the cell to the May 2025 killing of beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, whose former boyfriend is Álvarez Ayala’s son, Francisco. Márquez, a popular TikTok creator with more than 100,000 followers, was shot and killed while livestreaming from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco. Video of the attack appeared to show a man entering the salon, asking «Are you Valeria?» and handing Márquez a gift before shooting her in the chest and head. She collapsed on camera, and another person ended the livestream.
At the time, the killing was being investigated as a femicide, a gender-based crime under Mexican law. García Harfuch said the crime was linked to Francisco, who allegedly threatened Márquez several times after their relationship ended. «This criminal cell allegedly participated under his orders in coordinating multiple violent acts in the region. Among them is the tragic feminicide of Valeria Márquez, which occurred in May 2025 in Zapopan, Jalisco, a crime linked to Francisco, the victim’s former partner and Ramón Ángel’s son,» he said. He added that, with the arrest of Álvarez Ayala, investigators learned that Francisco had a romantic relationship with Márquez and had threatened her on several occasions. «Everything indicates, and this will be proven, that the son asked his father, R-1, to carry out the feminicide,» García Harfuch said.
Álvarez Ayala is now in custody, while Francisco remains at large. Jalisco authorities have also arrested another man accused of participating in Márquez’s killing. Álvarez Ayala is being held at the Altiplano maximum-security prison while federal prosecutors pursue charges. Investigations into both killings are ongoing.
Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with Manzo’s assassination. Manzo was shot during Day of the Dead celebrations in November 2025 and had been an outspoken critic of organized crime, working to root out corruption within the local police force. The U.S. Treasury Department has described CJNG as «one of the most powerful cartels in the world» and in July imposed sanctions on more than 50 individuals and entities in Mexico linked to the organization.
