A man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring that spanned two metro Atlanta counties, federal officials said Monday.
Hugo Solano-Garcia, 31, of Michoacán, Mexico was a “manager” in the operation, which aimed to distribute more than $1 million worth of drugs in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak’s office.
The investigation, which begin in July 2017, included a raid at a laboratory in Brookhaven, the statement said. On Jan. 30, 2018, agents found 130 pounds of crystal and liquid meth and an AR-15-style rifle at the lab. It is believed to be one of the largest meth seizures ever in Brookhaven, Pak’s office said.
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Over the course of the investigation into Solano-Garcia and nine other defendants, investigators found a “series” of stash houses and laboratories where they converted liquid meth into crystal form, “sometimes hiding the illicit drugs in hollowed-out fire extinguishers and car batteries,” Pak’s office said. Eight of the other defendants have also been sentenced.
“This elaborate ring profited from pumping poison in the form of high-grade methamphetamine into our community,” Pak said.
Solano-Garcia was charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. After his 20-year sentence in federal prison, he will be deported, the U.S. attorney said.
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