United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Atlanta – Three illegal aliens from Mexico, Sergio Cortes-Nieto, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, appeared in federal court today and yesterday on charges related to their alleged operation of an Atlanta-area methamphetamine conversation laboratory. In addition, Cortes Raquel was arraigned on a previously unsealed indictment that charged him with a separate 2024 incident where he allegedly trafficked over 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in a load of celery. 

“These illegal aliens, including a fugitive from justice charged with trafficking more than a ton of methamphetamine that agents removed from the streets in a record-breaking seizure, were allegedly audaciously operating a drug lab in the backyard of a suburban home,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “To ensure that the cartels never secure a foothold in North Georgia, even as they try to imbed themselves in our neighborhoods, we will continue to aggressively prosecute the criminals responsible for manufacturing and distributing this poison.”

“This lab was operating in a backyard, in close proximity to families and children,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “That level of disregard for human life is unacceptable. Our priority remains protecting the public from the devastating impact of illegal drug manufacturing.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court:  On February 20, 2026, DEA agents executed a federal search warrant at a Brookhaven residence. In the backyard, agents found Cortes Raquel and Larumbe Dominguez allegedly operating a methamphetamine conversation laboratory concealed under a tent. Cortes Raquel attempted to run away but was quickly apprehended. Agents seized approximately 100 pounds of liquid methamphetamine mixed and concealed in concrete and an additional 50 liters of liquid methamphetamine solution. Cortes-Nieto, who was also allegedly converting methamphetamine at the residence, was arrested earlier in the day at a nearby storage facility. 

The investigation further revealed that Cortes-Nieto, Larumbe Dominguez, and Cortes Raquel are citizens of Mexico and illegally present in the United States. 

Sergio Cortes-Nieto, 53, Christian Martinez Larumbe Dominguez, 31, and Jose Angel Cortes Raquel, 39, all of Mexico, appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on a criminal complaint that charged them with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Cortes Raquel was also arraigned on an indictment that charged him with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. The charges in the indictment related to the DEA’s August 8, 2024, record-breaking seizure of 2,370 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in boxes of celery at the Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park, Georgia. Cortes Raquel allegedly coordinated the delivery of those drugs.

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

The cases are being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Schwarzl and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz are prosecuting the cases.

These cases are 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 (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.