ATLANTA — A Mexican national and former federal inmate was indicted Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to move tens of millions of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine in the Atlanta area, authorities announced. The operation led to the seizure of nearly 1,600 pounds of the drug hidden in shipments of blackberries.
Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, 44, was charged with conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He previously served 17 years in federal prison after convictions for felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
His alleged accomplice, 36-year-old Nelson Enrique Sorto of Atlanta, was charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sorto is currently on probation following a 2024 felony methamphetamine conviction.
Federal agents and Hall County sheriff’s deputies observed suspicious activity outside a Fulton County cold storage warehouse on Nov. 20. Three refrigerated box trucks were parked outside, and one truck was followed to a Gainesville gas station, where Solorio-Alvarado allegedly picked up the driver and abandoned the truck.
A K-9 alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, and agents recovered approximately 661 pounds of methamphetamine concealed among pallets of blackberries. Solorio-Alvarado was arrested while attempting to flee from the back of his Gainesville residence, where deputies also found keys to the abandoned truck.
At the same time, law enforcement tracked a second box truck traveling with an SUV allegedly driven by Sorto to a home in southeast Atlanta. Georgia State Patrol stopped the SUV shortly after midnight, discovering two firearms and additional containers of blackberries. A subsequent search of the box truck recovered about 924 pounds of methamphetamine.
The combined seizures totaled 1,585 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at tens of millions of dollars, officials said.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg emphasized Solorio-Alvarado’s criminal history and illegal status in the U.S. during a Wednesday news conference.
“Solorio-Alvarado was convicted in federal court for drug trafficking and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, serving nearly two decades in federal prison. He was then, and remains, unlawfully present in the United States,” Hertzberg said.
Both men remain in state custody and will be transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service. Prosecutors plan to request that they be held without bail. Solorio-Alvarado faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison due to his criminal history, while Sorto faces at least 10 years. Both carry potential life sentences.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under former President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
