REPLAY: Homeland Security Task Force Announces Cartel-Linked Drug Trafficking Cases, Over 200 Kilos of Drugs Seized
8 Video Views·Nov 6, 2026
The Homeland Security Task Force announces the results of three separate cartel-linked drug trafficking investigations on Nov. 6, involving the seizure of more than 200 kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine. Two defendants have been sentenced, while a third faces federal charges.
Good morning. I want to start by thanking all you members of the media
who joined us here this morning.
I'm Will Keys. I'm the United States Attorney
for the Middle District of Georgia.
And one year ago, we gathered at FBI Atlanta to announce
our effort with Homeland Security Task Force
to combat transnational organized crime here in Georgia.
This is an effort that's taking place across the country.
And it is a joint effort. I'm joined here by Marlo Graham,
the special agent in charge of FBI Atlanta, John Gaudioso,
the acting deputy special agent in charge of HSI Atlanta,
and Harold Hurley, the resident agent in charge with DEA here in Macon.
And we're here to announce the results of that Homeland Security
Task Force effort here a year later after we kicked that off.
And so I'm going to start by highlighting
a case against Mr. Josue Cerda.
His sentencing took place just right across
the street at the federal courthouse here in Macon.
Yesterday is an Athens-based case,
and Mr. Cerda was sentenced to life in prison with no parole.
Mr. Cerda was convicted at trial of multiple counts related
to drug trafficking and the illegal possession of weapons.
He was transporting massive amounts of methamphetamine
and fentanyl for CJNG cartel.
He was held accountable at trial for 50 kilograms of meth
and 7 kilograms of fentanyl.
However, those quantities are just the tip
of the iceberg of what this man was responsible for.
Now, a life sentence is a very serious thing,
and so allow me to highlight a couple facts
about Mr. Cerda and why he's particularly worthy
of this severe sentence.
This is a man who, as I mentioned,
was transporting fentanyl by the kilogram for CJNG cartel in
the Athens area, CJNG being one of the most powerful Mexican cartels.
This is a man who was moving these kilograms of fentanyl,
at times moving the fentanyl with his toddler present in the room
while he did the deal.
This is a man who sent a message,
and in that message, this was used actually in court,
the message he acknowledges that the fentanyl he
was moving kills people, but said that the money was just too good.
This is a man who was previously convicted
of threatening to have his cartel cut up the family
of a law enforcement officer.
And this man in this case threatened law enforcement,
physical assault, was caught on video, was played in his trial.
And while he made the threat to law enforcement
and it was played in the courtroom,
he laughed. And I can assure you there
is nothing funny about his life sentence now.
Thankfully, he's being held accountable for his evil acts and thanks
to this joint effort with law enforcement, he can no longer terrorize
our community, the state of Georgia or the country. You'll see some
of Mr. Cerda's evidence used his arsenal right over here to my right.
And I'm now going to turn your attention
to Mr. Orlando Muckle aka Lando. So this is a separate
Homeland Security Task Force case,
another hearing that took place yesterday in the courtroom,
and another sentence that was handed out.
This man was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison,
no parole. He was transporting massive amounts
of cocaine for the Gulf Cartel,
also known as CDG, the acronym.
This is a designated foreign terrorist organization.
He was caught in this case with 26 kilograms of cocaine.
He was held accountable for that with
his 30-year sentence, but that sentence really represents more.
It is his career of crime,
his multiple convictions
for distributing before being caught up in this investigation
and receiving that 30-year sentence.
You can see Mr. Muckle's evidence over here to my left.
Now, right in front of you,
these 100 kilograms plus of methamphetamine and firearms,
this relates to the attention of Raul Mondragon.
I'd like to tell you a little bit about that case.
So just yesterday as well,
we had a court hearing in Mr. Mondragon's case.
This is a man who's alleged to be legally present in the United States.
He was arraigned yesterday.
He entered a plea of not guilty and he faces multiple charges related
to the drugs sitting on that table
and related to the weapons and weapons that he is alleged
to have been possessing. He's alleged to possess
with intent to distribute over these 100 kilograms
of meth and alleged to be distributing these drugs
on behalf of the cartel here in Georgia.
And so while this case is early in its
Process moving through our court system.
It does demonstrate that this is ongoing.
This is an ongoing effort that we're all working together here
in the Middle District of Georgia to bring justice
to these organizations influencing the landscape here in Georgia.
And so what do I want the public to know?
I want the public to know first how lucky we are to have
these law enforcement officers in Georgia doing this work.
Based off the facts that I just told you,
I can assure you these are very dangerous cases.
This is a dangerous line of work that they are in.
But I can tell you it was hundreds
of law enforcement officers involved.
And I was present during some of this and saw parking lots full
of law enforcement officers working together to make sure we can seize
this methamphetamine and these guns and fentanyl off the streets.
I want to specifically recognize Assistant
United States Attorney Mike Morrison and FBI
Special Agent Jamie Hipkus.
These men have worked tirelessly for years to work on these cases,
to get this off the streets, to protect our communities.
Their work is saving lives. But
of course, this is a team effort.
I want to say a big thank you to Athens-Clarke County Police
Department. I want to thank DEA. You'll hear from HSI.
You'll hear from FBI. But, you know, these are
This is a joint effort. You don't take down defendants like this and
take things like this off the street unless we're all working together.
And so the other thing I want the public to know
is that these cases will continue to be prioritized.
The Middle District of Georgia is not a good place
to be engaged in this criminal
activity. We are not going to take our foot off the gas.
Our office and our partners in law
enforcement at all levels, federal,
state and local law enforcement are 100% dedicated to this
effort. We will not stop.
I'll now turn things over to FBI Special Agent in Atlanta, in charge, Marlin
Thank you all for being here today.
I am very proud to stand with our law enforcement partners
and display the amazing efforts of our Homeland Security Task Force.
Getting these men and their
dangerous drugs that they put off put into our communities
and keeping them off the street has
been a major milestone in the efforts
of our Homeland Security Task Force. This is not only
keeping the local city of Athens safe,
but it is keeping everyone safe across the state of Georgia.
All of the cases we are talking about today,
they are really, really driven by our Homeland
Security Task Force, which is designed
to dismantle foreign terrorist organizations.
Thank you.
And we will do that by investigating the cartels,
the drug trafficking networks,
and the gangs that support them.
Most of the time, these groups are involved in a host of
other crimes to include kidnappings, murder,
money laundering, weapons trafficking,
some of the evidence you see here today.
And a host of other crimes. The defendant, Jose Suerta,
is a perfect example of the danger living among us.
You heard Mr. Keyes talk about him being in the presence of a baby.
Just look at the picture that is displayed here.
This individual is pointing a gun just right over the head
of a sleeping baby. This is not the type of individual
that we would like to have living in our community.
Today's cases, they highlight just a part
of our Homeland Security Task Force and what it's done
since its formation. In the last 13 months,
our Homeland Security Task Force, which covers the
state of Georgia and Alabama, has arrested 354 people,
seized more than 10,000 kilos of cocaine,
143 kilos of fentanyl, and 1,600 kilos of methamphetamine.
We have also taken 447 firearms,
off the streets and out of the hands
of criminals just like the gun you just saw
Jose holding. In closing,
I wanted to be clear that this is a whole of community approach
as well as a whole of government approach. We are keeping our foot
on the gas and we will not stop until we dismantle these organizations.
These cases have a significant impact in the community
and the way in which we are going to
work to keep it safe. We stand here unified and focused,
driving out these dangerous cartels,
the men and women who supply them,
and we promise to do everything in our power to continue to keep
our community safe because they are our communities as well.
Thank you all. Good morning, ladies and
gentlemen. My name is John Gaudioso.
I'm the acting deputy special agent in charge for the
The HSI Atlanta field office.
The Homeland Security Task Force
is grounded in a fundamental principle.
Public safety is strongest when law enforcement partners work
in close coordination to protect the communities they serve.
This is the very reason why the Homeland Security Task Force
was created and why it is so important.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement each bring
distinct expertise, authorities, and resources.
And we share one mission, protecting the public
and holding accountable those who threaten our communities.
Transnational criminal organizations do not respect city,
state, county or national borders.
They profit from bringing dangerous drugs
and firearms into our neighborhoods
and the damage they cause is felt far beyond a single investigation.
It affects families mourning loved ones,
first responders confronting dangerous situations
and communities working to keep their children safe.
Today's announcement
demonstrates what law enforcement partnerships
can accomplish when working together.
When agencies share information,
coordinate their efforts, and act with a common purpose,
we are best positioned to disrupt criminal networks,
seize dangerous drugs and weapons,
and prevent further harm.
These cases should serve as a reminder that public safety is a shared
responsibility. The men
and women represented here are committed to pursuing those who exploit
our communities for profit and bring them to justice.
In closing, I would like to thank the
I'd like to thank the U.S. Attorney for the
Middle District of Georgia, Will Keyes.
and the dedicated personnel
of the U.S. Attorney's Office for their leadership
and steadfast partnership in this effort.
I would also like to thank our federal,
state, and local partners, particularly the FBI,
the DEA, ATF, and the Athens-Clarke
County Police Department,
whose expertise and commitment make these success stories possible.
HSI will continue to leverage the full strength
of the Homeland Security Task Force
to dismantle these networks,
protect Georgia communities and make clear that transnational
criminal organizations have no safe haven here.
Thank you. Well thank you all again for joining
us this morning. We've got time for a couple questions.
Yes sir. Three cases in three different cartels.
Are all the cartels considered terrorist organizations?
So certain cartels have been designated foreign
terrorist organizations.
The ones mentioned here like CJNG and the Gulf Cartel have been.
The Mr Mondragons case, which again, this is early in it.
He is connected to the cartel. At this point, I'm not going to mention
which one, but yes, all three are related to these organizations.
Getting smuggled into New
You aren't going to be able to determine.
You know, I can speak generally as to how drugs arrive
in to Georgia and it can arrive in any way
in a truck concealed on a person.
I can let my partners in law enforcement
who deal with this day in and day out.
But, you know, to your point of this sort of ongoing problem,
I would just simply say.
You know, there are people overdosing from these drugs
and so we take that so seriously and so anybody who's doing this,
that is the reason why we'll continue the fight.
If anybody wants to join in on that question, please feel free to.
Sure. I mean, I'm happy to say that, you know,
listen, drugs come in in a host of different
directions, a host of different concealments.
I think my federal law enforcement partners here
today will see them firsthand all the time.
And so that is the challenge for us to stay ahead of
them as much as possible. They come in in ways in which.
Lay people do not understand and recognize.
Everyone thinks they're just only coming across
the border in trucks or trains or in cars.
They're coming through air.
They're coming through sea.
They come in a host of different directions.
And so we are definitely always trying to attempt to stay ahead of it.
And that is why we continue to partner together.
And, you know, just to.
Add to that. Some of the drugs that we've seen, especially in some
of the larger seizures, have been concealed in vegetables, for example.
And so these large scale drug traffickers will get very creative.
But fortunately, our law enforcement partners
are very good at identifying and finding the stuff
and seizing it like you can see today. Thank you for the question.
Yes, sir. Would you say this is the tip of the iceberg?
The tip of the iceberg as to the amount
that Mr. Cerda was held accountable for at trial
compared to historically what he has trafficked in his career, correct?
Second point, you must have an extensive informant network.
That's correct.
And so some of the facts at trial involve using confidential informants
or confidential sources to get into these networks.
And to your point, that is one of
the most valuable tools that law enforcement has
to get that information to then be able
to take this criminal activity out. But I can speak to these cases.
Good old fashioned police work is also how you make these cases.
It's local officers knowing what to look for.
It's working your way up the chain.
And it's that relationship between the prosecutor
and the agent working around the clock to make this happen.
So yes, confidential sources are a big piece of taking
that taking out targets like this. But every tool is at our disposal.
Yes sir. What difference does it make functionally
to investigations like this to know that you're
investigating hotels that have been also
been designated as terrorists? How does that enhance
your investigatory abilities? Sure.
No it's a great question and it is a priority to go after
that. Why? Because we want to hold the people
at the top of the food chain accountable. You know
We're not spending our time target
the drug dealer on the street corner.
We're trying to go up the chain as quickly as we can.
And, you know, it's an obvious reason.
Those are the people making the most money.
Those are the people profiting
the most off of other people's suffering.
But if you can source it, you can make a dent in the landscape.
I mean, the fentanyl that was seized
was not far from the University of Georgia.
Like, these cases have real life-saving impacts.
And so...
I get that it can feel like whack-a-mole,
but to us, we are going to keep pushing.
I guess what I'm asking is, how is that any different than a RICO case,
the fact that these are also terrorist groups?
How is this making the investigation structure different
from a terrorist group?
Right. So it is their designation, which is our focus,
but, I mean, we're doing other types of cases, too.
Like you mentioned RICO.
I mean, we've got active gang cases,
which look more traditional, but...
The point is that we're going to hold
is high of an individual accountable.
And if that means extraditing them from Mexico,
then that's what we'll do. And
that's what our priority is on.
I mean, we're, of course, doing a variety of
different types of cases here.
Um, but this is, I would say, at the top of the
list of priorities, um,
because it can change the landscape. It can save
lives.
Do you think they're targeting Athens Park County
because of politics?
I'll say this drug dealers will target whatever environment
to maximize their profit if there is
a market somewhere that is where they will flood the drugs
and so um you know we're about public
safety that is the whole point here
and so I mentioned that because that is extremely
concerning but you know I don't care where uh seven kilograms
of fentanyl is in our
in our district. We want to know about it and we take it seriously.
Yes. So drugs, especially with this quantity,
typically, again, they're sourced from Mexico.
And there's evidence in these cases that the drugs came from Mexico,
come across the United States.
That's how they get here.
You don't you know, for example, with methamphetamine,
you don't see a meth lab like for 20 years ago producing 100 kilograms.
That's just not exactly what the landscape looks like.
Let me thank you all again for joining us here
and for allowing us to share a little bit of our mission.
Thank you.
So what do I want the public to know?
I want the public to know first how lucky we are to have
these law enforcement officers in Georgia doing this work.
Based off the facts that I just told you,
I can assure you these are very dangerous cases. This
is a dangerous line of work that they are in,
but I can tell you it was hundreds of law enforcement
officers involved and I was present during some
of this and saw parking lots full of law
enforcement officers working together
to make sure we can seize this methamphetamine and these guns
and fentanyl off the streets.
I want to specifically recognize Assistant
United States Attorney Mike Morrison and FBI
Special Agent Jamie Hipkus.
These men have worked tirelessly for years to work on these cases,
to get this off the streets, to protect our communities.
Their work is saving lives. But
of course, this is a team effort.
I want to say a big thank you to Athens-Clarke County Police
Department. I want to thank DEA. You'll hear from HSI.
You'll hear from FBI. But, you know, these
This is a joint effort. You don't take down defendants like this and
take things like this off the street unless we're all working together.
And so the other thing I want the public to know
is that these cases will continue to be prioritized.
The Middle District of Georgia is not a good place
to be engaged in this criminal activity.
We are not going to take our foot off the gas.
Our office and our partners in law enforcement at all
levels, federal, state, and local law enforcement
are 100% dedicated to this effort. We will not stop.
The Middle District of Georgia is not a good place
to be engaged in this criminal activity.
We are not going to take our foot off the gas.
Our office and our partners in law enforcement at all
levels, federal, state and local law enforcement
are 100% dedicated to this effort. We will not stop.