23-year-old influencer killed during a live TikTok broadcast, drug boss arrested

Mexican authorities have arrested Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known by the nickname “El R1”, one of the main leaders of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, who is accused of ordering two murders that shocked public opinion in Mexico.

The operation was carried out on Thursday by special forces in the state of Jalisco. During the intervention, a member of the suspect’s security team was killed.

Federal Security Secretary Omar García Harfuch stated that the arrest represents a major blow against one of the most violent criminal organizations in the country.

According to him, “El R1”, who was released from prison in 2022, is suspected of organizing several serious acts of violence in the region.

One of the crimes he is accused of is linked to the murder of 23-year-old influencer Valeria Márquez, who was killed in May last year while she was livestreaming on TikTok from her beauty salon in Zapopan, Jalisco.

According to the investigation, the attacker, disguised as a delivery worker, entered the salon, asked her to confirm her identity, and then shot her twice with a firearm. The footage from the livestream spread widely on social media.

The prosecutor’s office claims that Márquez had been in a romantic relationship with Francisco Álvarez, one of the sons of “El R1”. According to authorities, he had threatened the young woman several times and later asked his father to arrange her killing. His son and the alleged gunman remain at large.

Investigators also link “El R1” to the murder of Uruapan mayor Carlos Manzo, which occurred in November during traditional Day of the Dead celebrations.

Manzo was with his family at a public event when a teenager approached him and shot him several times from behind. The attacker was killed on the spot by the mayor’s bodyguards, while Manzo later died in hospital.

The Jalisco New Generation Cartel is considered one of the most powerful and violent criminal organizations in Mexico. It is accused of trafficking fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, as well as extorting local businesses. The U.S. administration has designated the organization as a foreign terrorist organization.

The arrest of “El R1” came after several months of investigations and intensive intelligence work. The operation also involved a vehicle chase in the city of Atotonilco el Alto, while Mexican authorities have not disclosed whether the United States participated directly in the operation.

Among the first to welcome the arrest was the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, who stated that “those who generate violence and traffic fentanyl will be held accountable for their actions.”

“KORÇA BOOM”