Mexican Authorities Arrest Over Half a Dozen Bodyguards Suspected Of Taking Part In Assassination Of Mayor

Mexican authorities arrested seven bodyguards over their alleged involvement in the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo.

The Associated Press noted that seven bodyguards were arrested, and five of them were steps away from where Manzo was killed on November 1 during the Day of the Dead festivities.

The announcement took place a few days after the arrest of a man accused of being involved in the planning and ordering of the killing. He was linked to the Jalisco cartel.

Omar García Harfuch, head of the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection, said in a news conference that the person in question is Jorge Armando "N," known as "El Licenciado."

Infobae México reported that state authorities believe Jorge Armando "N" served as one of the intellectual leaders of the cell responsible for Manzo's killing. Officials said he pressured the gunmen to commit the attack even though Manzo counted with state and National Guard protection.

Intelligence reports indicate that the man served as the link between cartel leaders and Víctor Manuel Ubaldo Vidales, the teenager who killed Manzo. Authorities also said Ubaldo Vidales carried out the attack with help from two associates, Fernando Josué "N" and Ramiro "N," whose bodies were found on the Uruapan Paracho highway in recent days.

Earlier this month, Michoacán Gov. Alfredo Ramírez Bedolla told reporters that the two individuals found dead in Capácuaro were believed to have been with Vidales during the attack on Manzo.

"These are the two people who were found dead in Capácuaro. One of them was 16 years old, and this information was confirmed by Omar García Harfuch," the governor said.

In an interview, Harfuch, Mexico's top security official, said investigators also identified the suspected leader of the cell for which El Licenciado worked. He named Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala, known as "El R1," as the regional leader of the group, who allegedly ordered Manzo's killing.

According to Milenio, Álvarez Ayala is considered one of the highest ranking figures of the Jalisco cartel in Michoacán and oversees cells that operate in the state. He was arrested in 2012 along with two of his brothers, and remained behind bars for 10 years until his 2022 release after a judge ruled that the case lacked the evidence needed to support the charges, which included kidnapping and organized crime.

Milenio also reported that El R1 leads Los Cannabis, a CJNG cell that operates in Uruapan. Authorities said the organization was one of the groups Manzo confronted during his time as mayor.