Leader of Atlanta-Area Meth and Money Laundering Ring Pleads Guilty, Faces Life in Prison

Monica Dominguez Torres, 36, of Mexico, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to federal charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Torres led a transnational criminal organization that operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area and laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds to Mexico.

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Dominguez’s criminal enterprise was dismantled through the combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, resulting in the seizure of more than $3.5 million in illicit drug proceeds. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals like Dominguez who seek an undeserved life of luxury by trafficking deadly drugs in our community,” Hertzberg stated.

Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, emphasized the impact of the investigation: “Through hard work, this drug trafficking and money laundering network has been removed from our streets. This criminal organization had no regard for the destructive impact on our communities.”

The investigation revealed that Dominguez’s organization operated methamphetamine conversion laboratories where liquid methamphetamine, supplied by Mexican sources, was converted into hundreds of kilograms of crystal methamphetamine for distribution in Atlanta and beyond. Dominguez and her associates used multiple Atlanta-area residences to store and count millions of dollars in drug sale proceeds, which were then laundered and funneled back to Mexico.

Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman of the IRS Criminal Investigation Atlanta Field Office described the organization as a threat to national and economic security. “IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, along with our other federal, state, and local law enforcement partners of the Atlanta Strike Force are working together to find, investigate, and bring to justice those who endanger American citizens’ lives through their drug trafficking and other illicit crimes,” Hardeman said.

Dominguez and her associates used their drug profits to purchase luxury real estate, vehicles, and goods to conceal the origins of their wealth. She bought five residences, including a seven-bedroom waterfront home in Jonesboro, Georgia, with bulk cash payments used for three of the properties. The organization also purchased nine luxury vehicles valued at approximately $780,000. Additionally, Dominguez spent nearly $400,000 at Louis Vuitton and over $425,000 at Burberry in less than five years.

During the investigation, agents seized nearly $3.6 million in cash from various locations tied to Dominguez and her associates. At the time of her February 2024 arrest at her Conyers, Georgia, home, authorities recovered more than $1.7 million in cash, five firearms, and three vehicles.

Dominguez is scheduled for sentencing on September 15, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Leigh Martin May. For the drug trafficking charge, she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, a maximum $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release. The money laundering charge carries up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $500,000 or twice the laundered amount, up to three years of supervised release, and forfeiture of property.

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Georgia State Patrol, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, and Paulding County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys John T. DeGenova and Nicholas L. Evert are prosecuting the case.