Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, an illegal alien from Mexico who previously served time in federal prison, and Nelson Enrique Sorto face federal drug charges related to a recent seizure of a combined 1,585 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in blackberry shipments at locations in Southeast Atlanta and Gainesville.
“These repeat offenders, including an illegal alien, allegedly attempted to conceal and traffic an enormous quantity of deadly methamphetamine in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg at a news conference Wednesday at which new details about last week’s bust were revealed. “We are thankful for the quick action of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners who apprehended these individuals and stopped nearly 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine from hitting the streets.”
“These arrests and the confiscation of this massive amount of methamphetamine represent a major disruption to the criminals who traffic this dangerous poison in our communities,” said Hall County Sheriff Gerald Couch. “Hall County Sheriff’s Office investigators worked tirelessly in this case to hold accountable those who threaten the well-being of people in our county and communities across Georgia. I’m incredibly proud of the teamwork displayed by our investigators and our state and federal partners.”
According to Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On November 20, law enforcement surveilled a cold storage warehouse in Fulton County and observed three refrigerated box trucks parked outside. Agents followed one of the trucks as it traveled in tandem with an SUV, driven by Sorto, to a residence in southeast Atlanta. Sorto then opened the rear door of the truck and examined the storage area and its contents. Shortly after midnight, Sorto departed in the SUV with two passengers. Georgia State Patrol troopers initiated a traffic stop on the SUV and located two firearms and several containers of blackberries in the vehicle. During a subsequent search of the box truck parked outside the Atlanta residence, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents assisted by the FBI recovered approximately 924 pounds of methamphetamine concealed in pallets of blackberries.
At the same time, another team of federal agents and sheriff’s deputies followed a second box truck from the cold storage facility to a gas station in Gainesville. Solorio-Alvarado arrived, picked up the box truck driver, and departed the gas station. After a K9 alerted to the odor of narcotics, agents searched the abandoned box truck and recovered approximately 661 pounds of methamphetamine hidden amongst pallets of blackberries. Solorio-Alvarado was later arrested at his Gainesville residence as he attempted to flee from the back of the home. Inside the home, deputies found keys to the abandoned truck.
The investigation revealed that Solorio-Alvarado, an illegal alien from Mexico, has a prior federal conviction for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Solorio-Alvarado served 17 years of imprisonment for those offenses. Law enforcement also learned that Sorto is currently on probation for a 2024 conviction for possession of methamphetamine in Hall County. (EARLIER STORY. POSTED NOV. 24: HCSO: Nearly $25M worth of meth – hidden among blackberries – seized)
Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, 44, of Mexico, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 2, on charges of conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Nelson Enrique Sorto, 36, of Atlanta, Ga., was charged in a criminal complaint on December 1, with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.