El Doble R Arrested in Mexicali — Leading Succession Candidate Captured

Ricardo Ruiz Velasco 'El Doble R,' CJNG's top operational commander and the leading succession candidate after El Mencho, was captured by FGR and Mexican security forces in Mexicali, Baja California on March 11, 2026. He faces charges of homicide, terrorist acts, and armed robbery. El Doble R managed CJNG internal security, financial logistics, and cell coordination across Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, and Zacatecas. His arrest eliminates the most formidable non-family candidate from the succession race, narrowing leadership contention to O3 and El Jardinero. With El Tuli killed Feb 22, CJNG has lost both its primary financial and operational successors within three weeks of El Mencho's death.