Undocumented Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Operating Meth Labs in Atlanta
ATLANTA, GA – Ramiro Contreras-Sandoval, 41, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for running two liquid methamphetamine conversion laboratories in the Atlanta area and for possessing firearms as an illegal alien in connection with drug trafficking. He will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term.
“This case should send a clear message to anyone thinking about running drugs or using deadly weapons to protect their operation: the federal government will relentlessly seek justice and protect the community from drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, Jae W. Chung, added, “Operating methamphetamine labs is a reckless and dangerous crime. This conviction underscores that DEA will aggressively pursue anyone who engages in drug trafficking activities that put lives at risk.”
Case Background
Between March 2019 and October 2021, Contreras-Sandoval and co-defendant Genaro Davalos-Pulido operated two clandestine liquid methamphetamine conversion labs. On April 23, 2019, law enforcement seized over 135 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine concealed in paint buckets being transported from a Morrow, Georgia lab. Contreras-Sandoval and Davalos-Pulido fled the area to avoid arrest.
In fall 2021, both were located back in the Atlanta area. On October 21, 2021, a Norcross, Georgia residence was searched, revealing a fully operational meth conversion lab, a loaded Beretta handgun, $84,000 in cash, and a .50 caliber rifle intended for shipment to Mexico. Contreras-Sandoval was arrested nearby with $12,000 in cash in his vehicle and pockets.
Davalos-Pulido pled guilty in June 2024 and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in October 2024 for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Convictions
Contreras-Sandoval was convicted by a federal jury on September 16, 2025, of:
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine
- Distribution of methamphetamine
- Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Possession of firearms as an alien illegally present in the U.S.
Investigation and Prosecution
The case was investigated by the DEA and FBI, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Lawrenceville Police Department, Clayton County Police Department, and Long Beach, California Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Thomas M. Forsyth, III prosecuted the case.
U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross imposed the 30-year sentence today, emphasizing the seriousness of the offenses and the threat posed to the community by methamphetamine trafficking operations.
