Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, a convicted felon from Chamblee, Georgia, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, a Mexican national with no legal status in the United States, face federal charges following the seizure of large quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine in Norcross this week, according to a Mar. 13 announcement by authorities.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address drug trafficking and related threats in the region. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia serves as the principal federal law enforcement agency in the district and prioritizes prosecution of threats such as terrorism, human trafficking, and civil rights violations to serve the community, according to the official website.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said, “The defendants conducted their alleged narcotics trafficking in public with no fear of being caught. These arrests and charges send yet another strong message to the methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers operating in our communities: we work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to take your deadly drugs off the street and prosecute you in federal court.”
Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said, “Fentanyl and methamphetamine destroy lives, and those who traffic these drugs while carrying firearms put entire communities at risk. Through the DEA’s Fentanyl Free America Campaign, we will continue to pursue and dismantle the networks responsible for distributing these deadly substances.”
According to information presented in court documents: On March 11, DEA agents observed Lozoya allegedly sell over four pounds of methamphetamine at a parking lot before arresting him nearby with additional drugs and a stolen loaded handgun. A search revealed more than 18 pounds of fentanyl and about 25 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. That same afternoon, Carreno-Rivera was stopped by police after an alleged drug transaction; officers found over a pound of fentanyl during a vehicle search and later discovered an additional 11 pounds at his residence along with a loaded semi-automatic handgun.
Both men appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath on criminal complaints charging them with conspiracy or possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The investigation is being led by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, Gwinnett County Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth III, Johnny Baer, and Bernard Eyth are prosecuting these cases.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative involving multiple agencies—and also falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) established by Executive Order 14159.
The Northern District covers north Georgia mountains through Atlanta suburbs up to borders with Alabama and the Carolinas; it coordinates cases that may have nationwide or international dimensions according to its official website.
Hertzberg holds the position of United States Attorney for this district according to information provided by its official website.
