A Mexican drug cartel leader has been arrested after allegedly ordering a murder that was live-streamed on TikTok. The victim was an influencer and her mistake was that she was dating his son.
Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, a senior figure in the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was captured by special forces in the town center of Atotonilco el Alto on Thursday, Mexican media reported.
He was also wanted for the murder of Carlos Manzo, the mayor of Uruapan, who was executed during a festival known as the "Day of the Dead" in November 2025.
Fashion and beauty influencer Valeria Marquez was killed in her beauty salon in Jalisco in May 2025, after a gunman forced his way into the business and shot her in the chest and head.
Marquez was broadcasting LIVE at the time to her tens of thousands of followers when the killer entered the salon and was heard asking off-camera if her name was Valeria.
The 23-year-old's body then collapsed onto the table and a woman was seen rushing to turn off the live broadcast.
Álvarez Ayala allegedly organized Marquez's murder after receiving a call from his son, Francisco Álvarez, who was previously in a relationship with the influencer.
"He had threatened her several times," an official said.
Police have not yet arrested Francisco Álvarez or the gunman who carried out the attack. Hours before the killing, Marquez shared a selfie on Instagram Story showing her posing at a beauty salon.
Meanwhile, Manzo, 40, was killed in front of supporters just a month after calling for "brute force" against drug cartels.
"I don't want to be just another murdered mayor," he said, as he criticized the ruthless criminals. "But it's important not to let fear control us."
It was teenager Victor Manuel Ubaldo, 17, who shot the politician, but Álvarez Ayala was the "mastermind behind the murder," Garcia Harfuch said.
Authorities have arrested 31 people in connection with the politician's murder.
Álvarez Ayala, nicknamed “R1,” is being held in Altiplano — the maximum-security prison located 56 miles from Mexico City, from which “El Chapo” escaped on July 11, 2015.
He is also accused of possession of methamphetamine for the purpose of trafficking, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition for the exclusive use of the Mexican military.
The US has called the Jalisco New Generation Cartel "one of the most powerful cartels in the world" and more than 50 Mexican individuals and groups linked to the terrorist organization were sanctioned in July. President Trump has vowed to destroy the cartels throughout the Western Hemisphere. ©LAPSI.al
