ATLANTA — Federal prosecutors have indicted seven people in Georgia and Mexico in connection to what officials are calling the largest-ever fentanyl bust in DEA Atlanta history. The operation is tied to two Mexican drug cartels, including the violent Jalisco New Generation Cartel, and involved a sophisticated money laundering scheme based out of Gwinnett County.
According to the DEA, authorities seized over 100 pounds of fentanyl, equivalent to about 47 kilograms, during the investigation. Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae Chung of the DEA’s Atlanta division said the seizure potentially saved more than 23 million lives. “This particular organization used car batteries as concealment methods to bring in fentanyl and methamphetamine,” Chung said.
Five of the indicted individuals were allegedly working out of a money transfer business in Norcross, which authorities say was used to disguise illicit drug proceeds. Federal investigators say the group used a method called “smurfing,” breaking down large sums of drug money into smaller wire transfers to evade detection. In just two months, the operation reportedly sent $1 million to Mexico.
“The defendants used Atlanta-area remittance businesses that looked legitimate on the surface to move drug money across borders,” said Demetrius Hardeman, Special Agent in Charge of IRS Criminal Investigations in Atlanta.
Those indicted include:
- Sandra Beatriz Hernandez Chilel, 49
- Karina Beatriz Perez Hernandez, 22
- David Miranda Vinalay, 39
- Jerome Lewis, 47
- Irving Joel Hernandez, 34
The suspects are accused of laundering money for both the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and La Nueva Familia Michoacana, two of Mexico’s most dangerous drug trafficking organizations.
The investigation is ongoing, with federal officials emphasizing the scale and complexity of the international criminal network operating out of metro Atlanta.
WSBs Ashley Simmons contributed to this story
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