United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ATLANTA – Orfael Macedo Bustos, a high-level drug trafficker who was extradited to the United States from Mexico late last year, has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in connection with the importation of large quantities of cocaine from Mexico to metro Atlanta.  

“International drug traffickers often believe they can operate beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Today’s guilty plea proves otherwise. By working alongside our law enforcement partners, DEA will continue targeting the organizations responsible for transporting massive quantities of cocaine into our communities and ensuring those who profit from this criminal activity are held accountable.”

“Macedo Bustos introduced massive amounts of cocaine into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of strong agency partnerships through the Homeland Security Task Force and valuable international coordination, Macedo Bustos now faces a significant sentence in federal prison and millions of dollars’ worth of cocaine have been taken off the street.”  

“The guilty plea of Macedo Bustos is a direct result of the collaborative efforts of the Homeland Security Task Force. By leveraging the unique authorities and capabilities of our federal, state, and local partners, HSI remains committed to dismantling the transnational criminal organizations that attempt to flood our streets with illicit drugs,” said HSI Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge, Ellen Johnson. “We will continue to utilize every tool at our disposal to investigate and bring these offenders to justice, ensuring the safety of our communities in metro Atlanta and across the nation.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Beginning in 2017, federal law enforcement identified a drug trafficking organization that was importing large quantities of cocaine from Mexico into the United States. Macedo Bustos, one of the organization’s leaders and primary drug suppliers, coordinated with others to transport cocaine, usually via tractor trailers, to the metro Atlanta area for distribution.  

During the investigation, federal authorities seized at least five large shipments of cocaine from tractor trailers, including: 

• 44 pounds of cocaine in October 2017 in Fulton County, Georgia; 
• 30 pounds of cocaine in November 2017 in Fulton County, Georgia;
• 44 pounds of cocaine in February 2018 in Fulton County, Georgia;
• 33 pounds of cocaine in April 2018 in Cobb County, Georgia; and
• 22 pounds of cocaine in November 2018 in Fulton County, Georgia.

Today, Orfael Macedo Bustos, 52, of Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine after a federal grand jury indicted him in December 2018. In November 2025, Macedo Bustos was extradited from Mexico to the Northern District of Georgia, and he has been in federal custody since that time. 

The sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 15, 2026, at 1:30 pm before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray II. Macedo Bustos faces at least ten years of imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service. 

Assistant United States Attorney Dwayne A. Brown Jr. and former Assistant United States Attorney Tyler A. Mann prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.