Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Shipping Fentanyl-Laced Pills to Georgia

ATLANTA—Two men have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a scheme to ship and distribute tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills disguised as prescription medication.

Jorge Manuel Zamora Cano, 23, of Mesa, Arizona, was sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release on September 17. His co-conspirator, Walter Alexander Argueta-Aguilar, 21, an illegal alien from El Salvador, was sentenced to five years in prison on July 7 and will face deportation.

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, the investigation began in February 2024 when federal agents began investigating Argueta-Aguilar, who was receiving packages containing counterfeit M30 pills, a common imprint on legitimate oxycodone tablets. On March 19, 2024, agents intercepted a package sent from Cano to Argueta-Aguilar that contained over 125 grams of fentanyl-laced pills.

The investigation revealed that between July 2023 and March 2024, Cano had mailed dozens of packages containing over 50,000 blue M30 fentanyl pills to the Atlanta area. The pills were often hidden inside items such as stuffed animals to evade detection.

Cano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and unlawful use of a communication facility. Argueta-Aguilar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and attempted possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, with support from Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Gwinnett County Police Department.