Servando Corona Penaloza, a Mexican national and inmate in Georgia state prison, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for leading an international drug and firearms trafficking ring, according to an April 29 announcement. Fourteen others connected to the operation have also been convicted and sentenced, with two more awaiting sentencing.
The case highlights efforts by law enforcement agencies to disrupt criminal organizations that traffic drugs and weapons across borders. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia coordinated this prosecution as part of a broader initiative targeting threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, and civil rights violations according to the official website.
“These defendants flooded our community with deadly drugs and used the proceeds of their drug deals to arm narco-terrorist Mexican cartels with high-powered weapons of war,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of the exceptional and dedicated work by our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners under the auspices of Atlanta’s Homeland Security Task Force, there are no more drugs coming in—or firearms going out—at Corona Penaloza’s direction.”
Corona Penaloza organized sales exceeding 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl while arranging purchases of over 200 military-style firearms smuggled into Mexico for use by cartels. He managed these activities using a contraband cell phone from inside prison while serving a separate sentence. Law enforcement seized large quantities of narcotics during operations—including over 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine at an auto shop—and recovered more than one hundred firearms purchased through cash obtained from drug sales.
Federal agents from several agencies collaborated on this investigation as reported by the official website. The operation prevented substantial amounts of illegal drugs from reaching communities while disrupting firearm flows to violent groups.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office serves as the principal federal law enforcement agency in northern Georgia according to its official website, covering a region that includes Atlanta suburbs and borders with Alabama and the Carolinas according to its official website. Hertzberg held the position at the time according to its official website.
“This investigation reflects strong coordination among agencies at every level. Through that collaboration, we disrupted a dangerous operation and enhanced the safety of our communities,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.
