Brothers indicted as alleged CJNG commanders in Michoacan, DOJ says

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia has indicted two brothers accused of serving as regional commanders for the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), according to the Justice Department.

Ramon Alvarez Ayala, 44, and Rafael Alvarez Ayala, 42 — both Mexican nationals known respectively as “R1” and “R2” or “Rafa” — face charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine for importation into the United States and a related firearm offense involving a machine gun, prosecutors said.

According to court documents, the brothers served as CJNG regional commanders in the Mexican state of Michoacán. The U.S. secretary of state designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization on Feb. 20, 2025.

Prosecutors allege the conspiracy ran from 2004 through December 2023 and involved the manufacture and distribution of five kilograms or more of cocaine and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine for importation into the United States. The brothers are also accused of using, carrying, brandishing and discharging a firearm, including a machine gun, in connection with the drug trafficking conspiracy.

If convicted, each brother faces a mandatory minimum of 40 years in prison and a maximum of two consecutive life sentences, the Justice Department said.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said the department remains committed to eliminating drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, calling the indictment another step toward eliminating groups such as CJNG. Cindy Marx, special agent in charge and National Coordination Center deputy director for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Special Operations Division, said the DEA is using resources provided by the Homeland Security Task Force to pursue cartel leaders, facilitators, financiers and corrupt enablers “at unprecedented levels.”

The DEA’s Special Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit in Los Angeles investigated the case. The Justice Department credited the government of Mexico with securing Ramon Alvarez Ayala’s arrest.

The case is being prosecuted by Chief Kaitlin Sahni of the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Unit and Trial Attorneys Nicole Lockhart, Lernik Begian and Douglas Meisel of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.

The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The interagency initiative is intended to eliminate criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smugglinguggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. It places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting child trafficking and other crimes involving children and uses available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.