A man who pleaded guilty Wednesday to orchestrating the distribution of millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine in the U.S. was sentenced in Gwinnett County to 35 years in prison.
Gwinnett County prosecutors said Jose Pineda, 43, arranged for the smuggling of large drug from Mexico. His associates ferried the drugs from stash houses in the Atlanta area to sites along the eastern seaboard, and couriers transported profits back to Mexico.
Pineda could have been sentenced to three life sentences if convicted at trial. He accepted a negotiated guilty plea instead and was sentenced by Superior Court Judge William Ray to 35 years in prison plus five years of probation. His wife, Micaela Pineda, 42, also was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison plus five years of probation.
The Pinedas were among 80 people arrested in Gwinnett County two years ago as part of a huge local and federal joint investigation dubbed "Project Coronado." More than 300 people were arrested in 19 states as part of a two-day sweep aimed at dismantling the La Familia cartel.
La Familia is a violent drug trafficking organization based in the state of Michoacan, in southwestern Mexico.
Christopher Taylor, Pineda's defense attorney, said his client's participation in La Familia was minimal and his role exaggerated.
"Jose Pineda denies playing a leader role in La Familia cartel," Taylor said in an email. "His family is obviously sad at the outcome of today’s plea; however, given the possible sentence he was facing had he gone to trial on the four indictments, they are satisfied with the result."
The investigation in Gwinnett County began with a confidential informant's tip about Carlos Humberto Duron, a man loosely affiliated with the La Familia cartel, and a deal involving one a kilogram of cocaine. Investigators received permission from a judge to wiretap Duron's phone.
Information gleaned from listening to intercepted calls expanded the case, Mayfield said. Investigators went from monitoring one wiretap to 15 to 20 at a time. The case ballooned from one defendant to dozens.
The La Familia case is the largest prosecuted in Gwinnett County, Mayfield said.
Police who searched Pineda's home at 160 River Circle in Lawrenceville found handguns and an assault rifle stashed throughout; Pineda resided there with his wife and three young children -- two elementary school-aged kids and a toddler. The firearms were concealed under couch cushions, atop an entertainment center, and behind the bed.
Police also found several pounds of methamphetamine in a false floor of a closet bedroom, and a case of 24 Corona bottles that cleverly concealed liquid methamphetamine.
The drug pushers were transporting liquid meth, evidently because it was easier to smuggle, Mayfield said. The liquid only needed to be evaporated and crystalized by being washed with acetone to become crystal meth.
Mayfield said Pineda was believed to be the local ringleader because he used extended family and their friends as mules, couriers, money collectors and drug processors to further the cartel's goals.
"He supports them financially," Mayfield said. "Nobody had jobs, nobody worked."
None of the 80 arrested in Gwinnett County agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, even when offered plea deals with greatly reduced sentences. They told prosecutors they couldn't risk crossing Pineda, because he would seek retribution, Mayfield said.
Pineda, who is an illegal immigrant, will be subject to deportation when paroled.
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