Three sentenced to prison for smuggling liquid meth from Mexico to Georgia in semi truck fuel tanks
Three people were sentenced to federal prison for operating a large methamphetamine conversion and distribution organization involving semi trucks.
Three people identified as members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) were sentenced to federal prison after all three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
- Rosa Rangel, 40, of Canon, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
- Dustin Burgess, 36, of Ellijay, Georgia, was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
- Berzain Leal Batrez, 44, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to seven years, 11 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
Officials say that from at least October 2021 until August 2022, Rangel headed a DTO manufacturing methamphetamine in Georgia.
“Members of the DTO transported liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to the Northern District of Georgia in the gas tanks of semi trucks. The DTO members then pumped the liquid methamphetamine out of the semi trucks and cooked it into crystal methamphetamine, using at least two clandestine laboratories to convert the methamphetamine,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Federal law enforcement agencies began investigating the DTO when a female later identified as Rangel purchased large amounts of acetone, a substance used to convert liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine.
Investigators located a DTO drug conversion facility in Canon, Georgia, in August 2022 after observing a semi truck delivering liquid methamphetamine to the location. After a search warrant was executed, police seized over 250 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and nearly 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in the facility.
In November 2022, a a second methamphetamine conversion laboratory was discovered in Austell, Georgia, after agents observed the DTO delivering liquid methamphetamine to the laboratory. Over 160 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and 75 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine was seized at the Austell location.
“Methamphetamine production and distribution continues to pose a grave threat to public safety, especially when trafficked using the large-scale and international operation utilized by the defendants in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Thanks to the vigilance and investigative work of our law enforcement partners, this operation has been dismantled and these drug traffickers have been prosecuted for their crimes.”
“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat to our communities, and to the lives of several children who lived in close proximity to this highly volatile clandestine lab,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The success of this investigation is proof that those destroying our communities with methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs will be held accountable.”
Two other defendants are scheduled for sentencing in this case. Martha Karina Rangel-Pantoja, 42, of Ellijay, Georgia is to be sentenced on January 13, 2025, and Uriel Plancarte Mendoza, 31 of Canon, Georgia is scheduled for sentencing on March 21, 2025.
Agencies assisting the investigation include the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Bartow County Sherriff’s Office, the Calhoun Police Department, the Cherokee County, the North Carolina Sheriff’s Office, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, the Murray County Sheriff’s Office, the Dalton Police Department, the Chatsworth Police Department, the Gilmer County Homeland Security Agency, and the Tennessee 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force.