The Drug Enforcement Administration announced Wednesday the dismantling of a drug trafficking organization operating out of Mexico and smuggling drugs to Atlanta and other cities.
Harry Sommers, senior agent in charge of the DEA's Atlanta office, said the enforcement operation has resulted in 35 arrests and the seizure of 145 pounds of cocaine, seven pounds of methamphetamine, one pound of hashish, three firearms and more than $3.1 million in cash since it began last year.
Sommers said the latest operation, which was carried out Aug. 1 and included law enforcement from Cobb and Douglas counties, resulted in the arrest of the Atlanta cell leader, Adan Macedo-Rios, and 14 other suspects.
Sommers said the organization was based in Mexico but also operated out of Peru and Ecuador, and was responsible for smuggling drugs into the United States and distributing them to Atlanta, New York, Florida and Texas.
Sommers said the operation began in Douglas County, where authorities were investigating what they believed was a local meth operation. Investigators quickly concluded that the operation was more extensive than Douglas County and went to the DEA.
The operation was focused primarily on Douglas and Cobb counties, he said.
"We destroyed them root and stem," Sommers said. "This organization, at least domestically, is no longer going to be functional in our community."
Joel Provano and John Spink of the AJC contributed to this article
