Three men were indicted by a federal grand jury Tuesday on drug trafficking charges related to a massive marijuana bust in Gainesville earlier this month, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
As previously reported, almost 1,600 pounds of marijuana with a street value of more than $3.14 million was seized when federal and state law enforcement officials executed a search warrant on a tractor trailer at a warehouse in Gainesville on April 12.
Marco Ortiz-Barajas, 20, Fernando Morfin-Chavez, 43, and Angel Zamudio-Martinez, 54, all of Mexico, are accused of renting the warehouse to use as an off-loading site for marijuana, authorities said.
Ortiz-Barajas and Morfin-Chavez, who were arrested during the bust, will be arraigned in Gainesville on a date to be determined. They are each charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute at least 100 kilograms of marijuana and one count of conspiring to do so. They are in custody on related charges in Hall County.
Zamudio-Martinez was arrested Thursday morning and arraigned in Atlanta in the afternoon. He is charged with one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute at least 100 kilograms of marijuana.
“The significant size of this seizure indicates that Atlanta continues to be a major hub for drug trafficking, and we are committed to disrupting and disabling their ability to move their dangerous substances through our neighborhoods,” Brock D. Nicholson, Special Agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta, said in the news release.
The charges each carry a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
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