United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Atlanta – Luis Sanchez-Acevedo, an illegal alien from Mexico, appeared in federal court yesterday afternoon on charges related to his alleged distribution of fentanyl from a Forest Park farmers market produce stand. 

“Sanchez-Acevedo allegedly distributed deadly “tranq” pills containing fentanyl and xylazine at a farmers market where he sold fruits and vegetables,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our community is a safer place now that this illegal alien and his lethal pills are off the streets.”

“This defendant is accused of distributing fentanyl, a drug responsible for countless overdose poisonings across our country,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “In support of DEA’s Fentanyl Free America Initiative, DEA remains committed to targeting those who traffic in this poison and holding them accountable through the federal justice system.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:  DEA agents learned that Sanchez-Acevedo was allegedly selling counterfeit “M-30” pills containing fentanyl in the Forest Park, Georgia area. The investigation revealed that, in September and October 2025, Sanchez-Acevedo allegedly sold a total of 3,000 pills from or in the vicinity of his produce stand at a Forest Park, Georgia farmers market. DEA agents ultimately recovered the pills, and laboratory testing revealed that the pills contained fentanyl and xylazine, a powerful large animal sedative that is extremely dangerous to humans.

On January 13, 2026, agents arrested Sanchez-Acevedo at his produce stand. During a search of the stand, agents recovered approximately 1,000 additional counterfeit pills.

The investigation further revealed that Sanchez-Acevedo is a citizen of Mexico and illegally present in the United States. 

Luis Sanchez-Acevedo, 41, of Tehuacán, Mexico, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge yesterday on a criminal complaint that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by the Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Herskowitz and Edward C. Robinson Jr. are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.