Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, a convicted felon from Chamblee, Georgia, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, a Mexican national with no legal status in the United States, face federal charges following law enforcement operations in Norcross that resulted in the seizure of at least 30 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and two loaded firearms. The arrests were announced on Mar. 13 by U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia.
The case highlights ongoing efforts to address drug trafficking and related threats to public safety in the region. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia serves as the principal federal law enforcement agency in the district and prioritizes prosecution of threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, and civil rights violations to serve its community according to the official website.
According to court information presented by Hertzberg, Drug Enforcement Administration agents observed Lozoya allegedly selling over four pounds of methamphetamine in a Norcross parking lot on March 11. Agents followed him to a nearby trailer residence where they found additional drugs and a stolen loaded handgun during his arrest. A search revealed over 18 pounds of fentanyl and about 25 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in a shed linked to Lozoya. He was previously convicted in DeKalb County Superior Court for drug distribution and other offenses.
That same afternoon, agents observed Carreno-Rivera allegedly conducting a suspected drug transaction at a gas station before he was stopped by Georgia State Patrol on Buford Highway. Law enforcement found over a pound of fentanyl during the stop and later discovered an additional 11 pounds of fentanyl along with a loaded semi-automatic handgun at his residence.
“These arrests and charges send yet another strong message to the methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers operating in our communities: we work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to take your deadly drugs off the street and prosecute you in federal court,” said Hertzberg.
“Fentanyl and methamphetamine destroy lives, and those who traffic these drugs while carrying firearms put entire communities at risk,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division.
Lozoya faces charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine; Carreno-Rivera is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Both appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath on criminal complaints but are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt at trial.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including DEA, Homeland Security Investigations, Gwinnett County Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol. The U.S. Attorney’s Office also coordinates cases with nationwide or international dimensions according to its official website. The office covers north Georgia mountains through Atlanta suburbs up to borders with Alabama and the Carolinas according to its official website.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America as well as initiatives under Executive Order 14159 aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating within U.S. borders.
