Sinaloa Cartel Lieutenant Extradited to Atlanta to Face Federal Cocaine and Cartel Weapons Charges

ATLANTA – Roberto Lopez, also known as Shrek and NWA, was arraigned and detained in federal court on Friday following his extradition from Mexico. Lopez faces federal charges of cocaine importation and distribution, as well as money laundering, for his alleged role as chief armorer and logistics manager for cartel enforcer Edgar Valdez-Villareal, known as “La Barbie,” and trucking executive Carlos Montemayor.

Prosecutors say Lopez helped move tons of cocaine and millions of dollars through Atlanta, Memphis, and other U.S. cities while supplying Mexican cartels with machineguns, assault rifles, silencers, ammunition, and other military-grade equipment. He allegedly smuggled more than 1,000 rifles, 100 to 200 converted machineguns, and thousands of magazines and ammunition drums from the United States into Mexico.

“Lopez allegedly moved tons of cocaine and millions of dollars through Atlanta and other cities while supplying machineguns and other tools of war to fuel cartel bloodshed in Mexico,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Though it took years to find and arrest him, he will now finally be held accountable for his crimes.”

According to court records, Lopez acted as a primary lieutenant for Valdez and Montemayor, overseeing stash houses, payments to truck drivers, and the repackaging and transportation of cash back to Mexico. He is also accused of distributing a video of a cartel assassination to U.S. and Mexican media as part of a campaign of intimidation.

Valdez, a violent enforcer for the Sinaloa and Beltran-Leyva cartels in the early 2000s, was sentenced in 2018 to nearly 50 years in federal prison. Montemayor, his U.S.-based partner, was sentenced in 2019 to more than 34 years.

A federal grand jury indicted Lopez in 2009. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring to import and distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute, distribution of cocaine, and conspiring to launder money. He faces a maximum of life in prison on the drug charges and up to 20 years for money laundering if convicted.

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Garrett L. Bradford and Elizabeth M. Hathaway.