Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, a high-ranking leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), has been arrested by Mexican special forces. Ayala is accused of ordering the murder of fashion and beauty influencer Valeria Márquez, who was killed in May 2025 while live-streaming from her salon in Jalisco. Authorities also hold Ayala responsible for the assassination of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, in November 2025.
According to Omar García Harfuch, Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Ayala allegedly organized Márquez’s murder after receiving a request from his son, Francisco Álvarez, who had previously been in a relationship with the influencer. Harfuch stated that Francisco Álvarez had threatened Márquez on multiple occasions, and evidence suggests he asked his father to carry out the killing.
Valeria Márquez, 23, was shot in her beauty salon as she broadcast to her followers. The gunman could be heard off-camera asking for her name before the attack. The live stream captured Márquez’s body slumping over a table, and another woman was seen rushing to end the broadcast.
Francisco Álvarez and the gunman have not yet been apprehended. Sources indicate that just hours before her death, Márquez had posted a selfie on her Instagram story from the salon.
Mayor Carlos Manzo, 40, was killed during a Day of the Dead celebration in Uruapan. He had previously spoken out against drug cartels, calling for “brute force” against them and urging citizens not to let fear control them. Seventeen-year-old Victor Manuel Ubaldo was identified as the gunman, but García Harfuch identified Ayala as the mastermind behind the assassination. Authorities have arrested 31 individuals in connection with the mayor’s murder.
Ayala, also known as ‘R1,’ is reportedly being held at Altiplano, a maximum-security prison. He faces charges including possession of methamphetamine for trafficking, illegal firearm possession, and possession of cartridges for exclusive military use. García Harfuch described ‘El R-1’ as the primary leader of “Los Rs,” a violent criminal cell linked to the CJNG operating in Apatzingán, Uruapan, Morelia, and Jalisco.
The U.S. Treasury has designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as one of the world's most powerful cartels. In July, over 50 individuals and groups associated with the CJNG were sanctioned. Former President Trump had previously vowed to dismantle cartels throughout the Western Hemisphere.