'El R-1' Formally Charged (Vinculado a Proceso), Ordered Held at Altiplano

A Mexican federal judge formally linked Ramón Ángel Álvarez Ayala ('El R-1') to trial (vinculación a proceso) on August 7, 2026, for weapons possession, possession of cartridges reserved for the armed forces, and intent to traffic methamphetamine hydrochloride and cocaine. The judge ratified preventive detention and granted prosecutors a three-month window to complete supplementary investigation, including the homicide allegations tied to the Valeria Márquez femicide and the assassination of Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo. He is held at the Altiplano federal maximum-security prison and has filed an amparo alleging torture and incommunicado detention in an attempt to block eventual extradition to the United States.