Four Georgia men have been sentenced to prison for their respective roles in conspiring to sell large amounts of methamphetamine.
According to the Department of Justice, while investigating Almarud Duarte, David Garcia, Eduardo Penaloza-Pacheco, and Kevin Tello, authorities seized about 200 kilograms of methamphetamine.
“Illicit drugs devastatingly impact our communities, resulting in significant suffering by those addicted to the substances and the families who love them,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a press release. “We thank our law enforcement partners for their dedication to combating the scourge of drug trafficking and helping to keep our streets safe.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Safe Streets Task Force, the Hall County Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Gwinnett County Metro Task Force, and the Georgia State Patrol.
The charges, as well as other information presented in court revealed the men conspired to, and did, distribute kilogram amounts of methamphetamine from May 2021 to August 2021. Kevin Tello and David Garcia supplied the drugs to Almarud Duarte, who then sold the methamphetamine. Tello also supplied the substance to Eduardo Penaloza-Pacheco, who then sold a kilogram of it in June 2021. A search of Garcia’s home let to the size of the 200 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Duarte, Garcia, and Tello pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Penaloza-Pacheco pled guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. Each defendant has been sentenced as follows:
- Almarud Duarte, 27, of Oakwood, Georgia, pleaded guilty on January 23, 2023, and was sentenced to nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
- David Garcia, 42, of Duluth, Georgia, pleaded guilty on June 1, 2022, and was sentenced to 14 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release
- Eduardo Penaloza-Pacheco, 38, of Gainesville, Georgia, pleaded guilty on May 16, 2022, and was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
- Kevin Tello, 27, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, pleaded guilty on May 1, 2022, and was sentenced to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
“Finding, arresting and prosecuting the criminals trafficking illegal drugs greatly improves the safety of the community by preventing this poison from finding its way onto our streets,” Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama, said in a press release. “Disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations is one of HSI’s highest priorities and we are proud of the work that we and our partners are doing.”
“I’m pleased to see these offenders will spend time behind bars for their crimes,” Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch said. “As you can see from this case, and so many others now under investigation, it takes teamwork to get these dangerous narcotics off of our streets. The Hall County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to the fight against illegal drugs pouring into our communities.”
The department of justice said this effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF .
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. The Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
