Jury Convicts Illegal Alien for Operating Atlanta-Area Methamphetamine Labs and Unlawfully Possessing a .50 Caliber Rifle

ATLANTA - Following a five-day federal trial, a jury convicted Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, an illegal alien originally from Michoacan, Mexico, of distributing over 135 kilograms of a liquid methamphetamine mixture and possessing firearms as an illegal alien and in furtherance of his drug trafficking crimes.

"Without any regard for the safety of our community, Contreras-Sandoval operated two methamphetamine conversion labs in homes in the Atlanta area," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "He also possessed a firearm to protect his methamphetamine operation, as well as a Bushmaster .50 caliber rifle. Thanks to the relentless efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration and local law enforcement partners, the methamphetamine, weapons, and nearly $100,000 in drug proceeds were seized, and Contreras-Sandoval was convicted by a jury for his crimes."

"This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs," said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. "This guilty verdict is a critical step toward protecting our neighborhoods and ensuring these violent drug traffickers are removed from our streets."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: Between March 2019 and October 2021, Contreras-Sandoval and Genaro Davalos-Pulido operated two clandestine liquid methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area. On April 23, 2019, DEA agents seized over 135 kilograms of a methamphetamine mixture in paint buckets that Contreras-Sandoval and Davalos-Pulido attempted to transport in a vehicle driven by a conspirator. Both men fled to avoid arrest.

In August 2021, DEA located Contreras-Sandoval and Davalos-Pulido at a second methamphetamine conversion lab in a Norcross, Ga. residence. On October 21, 2021, agents searched the home and found Davalos-Pulido inside with a full-scale liquid methamphetamine conversion operation; a loaded firearm on the couch's center armrest, which also concealed over $84,000 in cash; and a .50 caliber rifle that appeared ready to be shipped to Mexico. Agents arrested Contreras-Sandoval outside the home and found approximately $12,000 in his vehicle and pockets.

On September 16, 2025, following a jury trial, Contreras-Sandoval was convicted of all charges against him: one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.

Contreras-Sandoval's sentencing hearing will be scheduled soon. U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Davalos-Pulido to 20 years in federal prison on October 11, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with substantial assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Long Beach (California) Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, Lawrenceville Police Department, and Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Thomas M. Forsyth, III are prosecuting the case.

This case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is https://http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.