United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MACON, Ga. – The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, together with law enforcement partners, today announced significant developments in three Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) investigations targeting cartel-linked drug trafficking organizations responsible for the armed distribution of large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine and resulting in the seizure of dozens of firearms.

“Two cartel-linked drug traffickers who distributed large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine received lengthy sentences and a third defendant now faces federal charges involving more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and firearms allegedly tied to a transnational criminal organization,” said U.S. Attorney Will Keyes. “These Homeland Security Task Force cases highlight the devastating impact of cartel-linked drug trafficking and the determination of our law enforcement partners to remove dangerous offenders from our communities.”

“Every kilogram of methamphetamine, fentanyl, or cocaine kept out of our communities represents a disruption to a criminal enterprise that profits at the expense of public safety,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “These cases underscore the importance of aggressive, collaborative investigations and the work of the Homeland Security Task Force. Our commitment remains focused on targeting the individuals and organizations responsible for bringing these dangerous drugs into our communities.”
 

“Cartel-connected drug trafficking organizations pose a serious threat to our communities, fueling violence and putting lives at risk through the distribution of deadly drugs and the proliferation of illegal firearms,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Through the Homeland Security Task Force, the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working together to dismantle these networks, hold those responsible accountable, and prevent these dangerous drugs from reaching our neighborhoods.”

“The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) unites federal, state, and local law enforcement to protect our communities from the violence and harm caused by transnational criminal organizations,” said Ellen Johnson, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI in Georgia and Alabama. “By combining our authorities, information, and resources, we can more effectively and efficiently disrupt networks that move dangerous drugs and firearms into our neighborhoods. HSI will continue to leverage the full strength of the HSTF to dismantle these networks, protect Georgia communities, and hold offenders accountable.”

“These investigations demonstrate the importance of strong partnerships between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies in addressing the threat posed by large-scale drug trafficking organizations,” said Athens-Clarke County Police Chief Jerry Saulters. “The distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine brings violence, addiction, and significant harm to our communities. Through our continued collaboration with the FBI, DEA, and our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to identifying and dismantling these criminal networks, holding those responsible accountable, and protecting the safety of the citizens we serve. I commend the dedicated investigators and officers whose work contributed to these significant outcomes.”

Josue Serda, 28, of Jefferson, Georgia, was sentenced in Case No. 3:25-CR-10 to serve life in prison by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on November 5. Serda was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, four counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine on premises where a person under 18 was present, and one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance on July 8 following a seven-day trial. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Serda was convicted for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than seven kilograms of fentanyl and more than 50 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Athens area between January 2024 and May 2025. Investigators identified Serda as a supplier for the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) operating in the Athens area. During an Aug. 26, 2025, FBI SWAT operation to arrest Serda, his girlfriend informed agents that he was communicating with cartel associates in Mexico. Records showed that at 6:06 a.m. on the morning of his arrest, Serda called his co-defendant and drug supplier in Mexico, Alicio Yanez-Pineda, also known as “Cochito,” via WhatsApp and warned him that the FBI was at his residence, instructing him to have a truck scheduled to deliver narcotics later that day “turn around.” Serda also has a history of threatening law enforcement officers. In 2015, he was convicted of threatening a police officer and stated that he would contact “his cartel” to come to the officer’s home and “cut [his] family up.” For more information about this case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/two-georgians-guilty-athens-fentanyl-meth-ring-linked-cartel.

Orlando Muckle aka “Lando,” 52, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced in Case No. 3:25-CR-20 to serve 360 months in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III on November 5, after he pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine on August 6. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Muckle distributed large quantities of cocaine in the Athens area that he obtained through sources associated with the Gulf Cartel. During the investigation, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct multiple controlled purchases of cocaine from Muckle. FBI surveillance revealed that Muckle stored cocaine at an apartment on Jennings Mill Parkway and used a second apartment on Macon Highway to facilitate drug transactions. When search warrants were executed in July 2025, agents seized 26 kilograms of cocaine that Muckle admitted he intended to distribute. For more information about this case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/seventeen-charged-alleged-fentanyl-cocaine-distribution-ring-athens.

Raul Perez-Mondragon, 30, of Queretaro, Mexico, is charged by indictment in Case No. 3:26-CR-17 with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a person illegally in the United States. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt. Perez-Mondragon had his initial appearance before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle on November 5 and remains detained in federal custody.

According to the indictment and court documents, Perez-Mondragon, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States, was allegedly a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in Athens with ties to a transnational criminal organization. Perez-Mondragon is
allegedly responsible for receiving and distributing large quantities of narcotics in the Athens area. As part of the operation, methamphetamine was allegedly concealed inside cabbages wrapped in green cellophane to avoid detection. Investigators learned that each package contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine and that shipments to the drug trafficking organization allegedly contained as many as 300 kilogram-sized packages at a time. During surveillance in November 2025, investigators observed Perez-Mondragon allegedly distributing large quantities of narcotics from 123 Deer Creek Court in Athens. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence, seizing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and multiple firearms. Perez-Mondragon is subject to an immigration detainer.

These investigations and prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations worldwide. This initiative identifies TCOs engaged in a wide range of criminal schemes that violate federal law, while dismantling cross-border human smuggling and trafficking networks that fuel violence and instability that threaten the safety and security of the United States and its global partners. It also places a particular emphasis on criminal offenses involving children and ensures the use of all available law enforcement tools to prosecute offenders and/or facilitate the removal of criminal aliens from the United States. Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from the ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

The Serda and Muckle cases were investigated by the FBI, DEA, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, with the assistance of the GBI and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

The Perez-Mondragon case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, DEA, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the cases for the Government.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt.