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DEA intelligence helped locate suspected CJNG commander R2, report says

The account of the Zapopan restaurant raid says Rafael Álvarez Ayala faced an arrest warrant for extradition to the United States.

Channel: MILENIO ·

MexicoStory of November 10, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Enfrentamiento armado detiene a Rafael 'N', 'R2', y 19 personas más

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Intelligence shared by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration helped Mexican authorities locate Rafael Álvarez Ayala, known as R2, before a restaurant raid that ended with his arrest and 19 others detained, Mexico's MILENIO reports.

The broadcaster identifies Álvarez Ayala as a suspected senior commander of Los Erres, a cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG. It says he was wanted under an arrest warrant for extradition to the United States. The report does not specify the charges underlying that warrant.

The operation took place at Sabea, a restaurant at the intersection of México and Terranova avenues, near the boundary between Zapopan and Guadalajara in the western state of Jalisco. According to the report, the group arrived the previous afternoon, closed the premises for its exclusive use and continued celebrating into the following day.

Federal forces entered on Sunday afternoon. The broadcaster describes an exchange of gunfire lasting more than five minutes, during which Álvarez Ayala was wounded. Footage shows him being taken on a stretcher to an ambulance before his transfer to a hospital.

The remaining detainees left in two groups. Nine were placed aboard the armored tactical vehicle Goliat for transfer to prosecutors and subsequently Mexico City, the report says. Ten others were brought out later that evening.

The segment also displays a social media statement from Security and Citizen Protection Secretary Omar García Harfuch confirming the arrest. In a separate follow-up, the broadcaster reports that those detained included restaurant staff and diners who had been held inside, alongside people close to Álvarez Ayala. Their detention should not be read as confirmation of cartel membership.

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