Earlier today, Carlos Alberto Guerrero Mercado and Guillermo Isaias Perez Parra, both citizens of Mexico, appeared in federal court in Brooklyn. They were arraigned on charges including conspiracy to manufacture and distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to manufacture and distribute listed chemicals, and money laundering conspiracy. United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho ordered both defendants detained pending trial. Their transfer from Mexico to the United States occurred on January 20, 2026.
Guerrero Mercado and Perez Parra are among 37 Mexican nationals transferred to the United States from Mexico to face a variety of federal criminal charges across the country.
The arraignment was announced by Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York.
“As alleged, these defendants played a key role in manufacturing the fentanyl poisoning our nation,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The defendants and their co-conspirators obtained the chemicals necessary to manufacture vast quantities of fentanyl—also known as precursor chemicals—from companies in China. Now they will face American justice for their callous crimes. Our Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting individuals responsible for the fentanyl scourge at all levels of the production and distribution of this lethal drug.”
Nocella expressed gratitude to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs for its assistance.
Michael Alfonso added: “As alleged, these two individuals are among the worst kind of predators: traffickers who poison our communities with staggering quantities of deadly fentanyl, manufactured with chemicals funneled from overseas and unleashed on American streets. HSI has relentlessly targeted every link in this lethal supply chain — from the chemical brokers in China to the cartel chemists in Mexico and the global traffickers — and will continue to do so with unflinching focus on our mission to protect our homeland. HSI and the HSTF New York will stop at nothing to investigate, identify and arrest those who profit from this epidemic of death, wherever in the world they may hide.”
According to indictment details and court filings, Guerrero Mercado and Perez Parra allegedly sourced chemical components used for making fentanyl from suppliers based in China. These chemicals were often transported through U.S.-Mexico border towns before being converted into large amounts of fentanyl in Mexico. The finished product was then distributed within the United States. When law enforcement disrupted shipments from China, prosecutors allege that both men conspired to produce precursor chemicals themselves.
The charges against them are allegations; both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. If convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life imprisonment.
This prosecution is part of an initiative led by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), established under Executive Order 14159—Protecting the American People Against Invasion—which coordinates government efforts against criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, human smuggling rings, child trafficking offenses or other crimes involving children.
The case is managed by Assistant United States Attorneys William P. Campos, Chand Edwards-Balfour, and Adam Amir from the International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York operates as a federal prosecutor's office covering Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County and Suffolk County through offices located in Brooklyn and Central Islip official website. The office handles prosecutions for federal crimes such as those described above while also representing civil matters throughout its jurisdiction official website. In addition to prosecution services it provides victim assistance programs as well as community outreach initiatives official website.
Defendants:
CARLOS ALBERTO GUERRERO MERCADO
Age: 47
Mexico
GUILLERMO ISAIAS PEREZ PARRA
Age: 41
Mexico
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-287 (S-1) (EK)
