The criminal group Los Erre, linked to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, is directly implicated in the assassination of Mayor Carlos Manzo on November 1 in Uruapan, Michoacán. Authorities have detained alleged masterminds and involved escorts, while searching for a fugitive ex-colonel. The federal government is bolstering security in the region as a national priority.
The assassination of Carlos Manzo, mayor of Uruapan, took place on November 1, 2024, during the Festival of Candles. According to Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch, the Los Erre cell of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) is directly linked to the homicide. This group, influential in Michoacán municipalities, is led by brothers Ramón Álvarez Ayala alias “R-1”, Rafael Álvarez Ayala alias “R-2”, and Jesús Santiago Álvarez Ayala.
Key detentions include Jorge Armando ‘N’, alias ‘El Licenciado’, the alleged mastermind who coordinated via an encrypted messaging app. He is held in the maximum-security El Altiplano prison and linked to a penal process. Additionally, seven municipal police officers serving as Manzo's escorts were arrested for their involvement, charged with qualified homicide by omission. Jaciel Antonio ‘N’, alias ‘El Pelón’, a recruiter from rehabilitation centers for criminal structures, was also detained.
José Manuel Jiménez Miranda, a retired Army colonel and Manzo's head of escorts, remains at large. With 43 years of military service, Jiménez was appointed Uruapan's Public Security Secretary in August 2023 but left after a month amid allegations of assaulting his wife, which the municipal government formally denied. Manzo reappointed him as escort chief following the arrest of René Belmonte Aguilar ‘El Rino’, CJNG's Uruapan plaza boss, preferring local police over federal agents. Michoacán's Attorney General has expanded the search nationwide with federal support.
In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum's administration launched the Michoacán Plan, deploying 2,514 agents from SSPC, National Guard, Navy, and Defense. From November 10 to 26, 134 individuals were arrested for high-impact crimes. Homicides dropped from 111 in September to 58 in November. Since October 1, 2024, there have been 932 arrests, 22.9 tons of drugs seized, 17 methamphetamine labs dismantled, and 924 firearms confiscated. García Harfuch stressed: “The security of Michoacán is a national priority.” The crime has sparked nationwide outrage and protests against Mexico's insecurity crisis.