Alexander Arellano has been sentenced to a federal prison term for distributing significant amounts of fentanyl in Atlanta while in possession of firearms. "Fentanyl traffickers pose a tremendous threat to public safety especially when they illegally possess firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. "Defendants like Arellano who peddle this poison in our communities are being held accountable, including through lengthy prison sentences, thanks to the collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners."
Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, highlighted the dangers posed by Arellano's actions, saying, "Arellano endangered countless lives by trafficking large quantities of deadly fentanyl. The success of this investigation is proof that those destroying our communities with fentanyl will be held accountable."
According to court information provided by Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, on May 3, 2024, DEA special agents witnessed Arellano selling half a kilogram of fentanyl at a gas station in Marietta. Following Arellano, the agents observed him returning to an apartment complex on Windy Hill Road. Shortly afterward, he was arrested, and a federal search warrant revealed 10 kilograms of fentanyl, two loaded firearms, including an AK-47 pistol, and $120,000 in cash in a bedroom belonging to Arellano. At the time, Arellano was on probation following a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine.
At the age of 25, Alexander Arellano of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced on April 14, 2025, by United States District Judge William M. Ray II to 13 years and three months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Arellano had pleaded guilty on August 29, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Cobb County Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Bethany L. Rupert.
For more information, contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280. Further details about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia are available at http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
