Authorities in Mexico arrested Cartel leader known as “El R-1” on July 30, linking him with the killing of former Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo and the feminicide of influencer Valeria Márquez

In May 2025, popular TikToker, Valeria Marquez, was livestreaming to her followers from her beauty salon, when a motorbike-riding gunman arrived, identified her, then opened fire

Valeria Marquez , 23, collapsed after she was shot in the chest and head with her viewers still online, and later died

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

Prosecutors accused Alvarez Ayala of hiring the hitman at the request of his son Francisco Alvarez, after Marquez broke off their romantic relationship

The crime boss has also been accused of ordering and financing the brazen shooting of Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, mayor of Uruapan, during a festival on Nov 2, 2025

In May 2025, popular 23-year-old TikToker, Valeria Marquez [photo], was livestreaming to her followers from her beauty salon, when a motorbike-riding gunman arrived, identified her, then opened fire. She collapsed on camera after she was shot in the chest and head

Mexican influencer, 23-year-old TikToker, Valeria Marquez, was live streaming to her followers from inside her beauty salon, Blossom the Beauty Lounge, in Zapopan, the western Mexican state of Jalisco, when a motorbike-riding gunman opened fire last May, 2025.
Authorities just announced that a drug lord ordered a hitman to kill the beauty influencer because she had broken up with his son.
Prosecutors have accused Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, a senior figure in the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion [CJNG], considered to be one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, of ordering her murder, as well as the killing of a local mayor.
Alvarez Ayala, better known by his underworld name ‘El R1’, was captured in a special forces operation on Thursday, July 30, after a car chase in Jalisco, which saw a member of his security team killed.

Ramon Angel Alvarez Ayala, a senior figure in the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG) – considered to be one of Mexico’s most powerful criminal organizations, was arrested on July 30, accused of ordering the murder of Valeria Marquez

According to Mexico’s Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch, on Friday announced details of the investigation a day after authorities arrested Álvarez.
The cartel leader allegedly ordered the hitman to enter Marquez’s salon, posing as a delivery driver, where he then asked for the aesthetician to confirm her identity. Once she responded, affirming her identity, he opened fired and shot her three times.
According to Harfuch, El R1’s son, Francisco Alvarez, who had been in a relationship with Marquez, phoned his father to organize the hit after their relationship ended.
‘The son of R1 had a romantic relationship with Valeria [Marquez], he had threatened her on several occasions, and everything indicates – and this will be proven – that the son asked his father, R1, to commit the femicide,’ Secretary Harfuch said.

‘[Francisco Alvarez], the son of R1 had a romantic relationship with Valeria [Marquez], he had threatened her on several occasions, and everything indicates – and this will be proven – that the son asked his father, R1, to commit the femicide’ Security Secretary Harfuch

“‘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,” was also linked to the killing of former Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo Mexican authorities said Friday.
Public Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch announced details of the investigation a day after authorities arrested Álvarez Ayala, a key operator within the criminal organization, whom officials alleged is the mastermind behind Manzo’s killing.
While Ayala is in custody, his son and the shooter remain at large.

Viewers logged into the livestream watched as Marquez acknowledged the hitman entering her salon while posing as a delivery driver, before the gunman shot her once in the chest and twice in the head

Funeral for Carlos Alberto Manzo Rodríguez, mayor of Uruapan, Mexico. Authorities allege Álvarez Ayala, a key operator within the criminal organization CJNG, is the mastermind who ordered and financed the Nov. 2, 2025, killing of Manzo

According to García Harfuch, investigations into the cartel’s operations helped authorities identify Álvarez Ayala as one of its leaders and uncover his alleged involvement in violent criminal activities, including arms trafficking, drug trafficking, extortion and racketeering.
Authorities have said Álvarez Ayala ordered and financed the Nov. 2, 2025, killing of Manzo, the former mayor of Uruapan, Michoacán, whose assassination during Day of the Dead celebrations shocked the country.
García Harfuch said investigators have not yet fully established the motive but cited testimony from detainees who viewed Manzo’s actions against organized crime as a direct challenge to the cartel.
When asked whether Manzo had been targeted because he made cartel members uncomfortable with his public statements, García Harfuch responded: “The testimony of several detainees is that they viewed it as a provocation rather than simply an annoyance.”|Manzo, a former lawmaker with the ruling Morena party who later became one of its critics, was widely seen as one of the few politicians actively trying to remove organized crime from his municipality. He had purged the local police force, publicized arrests on social media and regularly visited residents in some of the city’s most troubled neighborhoods. In October 2025, a month before his killing, he had sought assistance from the federal government.
Federal forces arrested Álvarez Ayala and another suspect during an operation in Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco. García Harfuch said security forces came under attack from armed members of Álvarez Ayala’s security detail during the operation, and one alleged attacker was killed.
Authorities said the arrest marks a significant advance in efforts to dismantle the criminal organization and prosecute those allegedly responsible for Manzo’s killing, while investigations into the death of Márquez is ongoing.