A major drug trafficker was sentenced 30 years in prison this week after a conviction in Gwinnett County.
Joshua Estrada was found guilty of trafficking in methamphetamine, according to Dan Mayfield, chief assistant prosecutor.
Drug Enforcement Administration agents identified Estrada in late 2013 as an associate with a Mexican trafficking organization. The gang imported large quantities of meth in heavy duty vehicle batteries, Mayfield said.
In February 2014, DEA agents saw Estrada pick up five commercial-size batteries from the driver of an 18-wheel tractor-trailer truck at a Pilot truck stop in Cobb County, Mayfield said.
Estrada spotted the agents following him to Gwinnett, parked at the Mall of Georgia and fled by taxi after eluding agents inside the mall, Mayfield said.
Agents found 25 kilograms of meth in Estrada’s truck, and the stash had an estimated street value of $3 million. He was captured in Chicago in May 2014, Mayfield said.
About the Author
