Five Mexican nationals have been charged in federal court after authorities seized over 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine from locations in unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia. The defendants—Wilber Castellanos Villazana, Yamilet Calixto Sotelo, Jorge Lorenzo Manzanarez, Esteban Jacobo-Suarez, and Damien Gomez-Guijarro—face charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Four of the individuals are reported to be in the United States illegally.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) identified one of the main suspects as allegedly operating on behalf of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a group known for its violent activities.
“Within just a few days, undercover investigations in the metro Atlanta area led to the seizure of more than half a ton of methamphetamine, the arrests of four illegal aliens allegedly responsible for distributing those deadly drugs, and the disruption of two drug trafficking rings,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will continue to proudly partner with federal, state, and local crimefighters to protect the public and eliminate the scourge of drug trafficking.”
Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, stated: “The CJNG cartel is a significant threat to public safety, public health, and the national security of the United States. DEA will target every level of their supply chain to disrupt and destroy their networks.”
According to information presented in court by U.S. Attorney Hertzberg:
On September 15, 2025, Wilber Castellanos Villazana allegedly sold one kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover DEA agent at an apartment complex in DeKalb County. He was then observed selling additional narcotics from an Acura vehicle.
The following day, agents saw Castellanos Villazana along with Jorge Lorenzo Manzanarez and Yamilet Calixto Sotelo move large trash bags from an apartment into a car using a collapsible wagon. Law enforcement arrested them and found approximately 22 kilograms of methamphetamine in the car trunk and about 309 kilograms inside the apartment.
On September 17, Esteban Jacobo-Suarez and Damien Gomez-Guijarro allegedly sold another kilogram of methamphetamine to an undercover agent at a gas station near Stone Mountain before returning to a nearby residence.
A day later during another planned drug purchase by DEA agents, Jacobo-Suarez and Gomez-Guijarro were stopped by police after leaving their residence with a black trash bag placed in their car's backseat. Authorities found 10 kilograms of methamphetamine in that vehicle as well as approximately 131 kilograms inside their residence along with one firearm and around $12,000 cash.
All five individuals were charged on September 19 with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine through federal criminal complaints. Castallanos Villazana, Calixto Sotelo, Lorenzo Manzanarez, and Jacobo-Suarez are not legally present in the country; Jacobo-Suarez has previously been deported twice from the United States.
Authorities remind that these criminal complaints only contain allegations; all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt at trial.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including DEA’s Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program (HIDTA), Homeland Security Investigations, DeKalb County Police Department, and Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant United States Attorney Michael Herskowitz is prosecuting these cases.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide effort aimed at addressing illegal immigration issues while targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated resources from various Department of Justice initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
For information about drug dangers targeted toward parents and children visit www.justthinktwice.gov.
Further details can be obtained by contacting the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office or visiting http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.