United States Drug Enforcement Administration

ATLANTA – Gerardo Miranda Mendoza, an illegal alien from Mexico who was twice convicted of drug trafficking charges and twice removed from the United States, appeared in court yesterday to face new federal methamphetamine distribution and immigration charges after the seizure of more than 440 pounds of methamphetamine from a vehicle in Conyers, Georgia. 

“Criminal drug trafficking organizations do not operate within jurisdictional boundaries, and neither can our response,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The Homeland Security Task Force provides a unified approach, bringing law enforcement partners together to share intelligence, coordinate investigations, and pursue those who threaten the safety and security of our communities. A seizure of this magnitude is a reminder of why these partnerships matter.”

“Despite two prior drug trafficking convictions and subsequent deportations, Mendoza allegedly returned illegally and attempted to traffic a massive amount of methamphetamine in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of the tireless efforts and dedication of the Homeland Security Task Force, Mendoza now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in federal prison, and nearly a quarter-ton of deadly methamphetamine has been taken off the street.”

“Narcotics are destroying lives and devastating communities across the region. Every gram, every pill, and every sale of these drugs have the potential to ruin lives,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Atlanta Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop the flow of these deadly drugs and hold criminals who profit from poisoning our communities accountable.” 

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On November 7, 2026, as part of a federal drug trafficking investigation, law enforcement observed Mendoza and another individual arrive in separate vehicles at a store parking lot in Stonecrest, Georgia. After Mendoza arrived in a van, he went inside the store, and the other individual then drove the van to a warehouse in Conyers, Georgia. The other man allegedly loaded trash bags at the warehouse into the vehicle, returned to the store parking lot, and left the van. Mendoza then reentered the van and drove away. 

Shortly thereafter, a Georgia State Patrol trooper stopped the van for a traffic violation. During a subsequent search of the van, law enforcement located numerous trash bags containing a total of approximately 440 pounds of methamphetamine. 

The investigation further revealed that Mendoza has a 2009 federal conviction for conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine, as well as a 1998 State of California conviction for transporting controlled substances. Mendoza was deported from the United States following each of these convictions - most recently in November 2017. 

Yesterday, Gerardo Miranda Mendoza, 57, of Morelia, Mexico, appeared in federal court on a criminal complaint charging him with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute and illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. Mendoza was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service without bail.

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaint contains only 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 and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol. 

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force 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 is comprised of 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.

Assistant United States Attorney Drew Waldbeser is prosecuting the case.