1,600 pounds of meth disguised as fruit seized in Atlanta area

A Mexican illegal immigrant who previously served nearly two decades in federal prison was indicted Tuesday for allegedly conspiring to transport tens of millions of dollars’ worth of methamphetamine into the Atlanta area, leading authorities to seize nearly 1,600 pounds of the stimulant drug hidden in blackberry shipments.

Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, 44, of Mexico, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

He previously served 17 years in prison after being convicted of felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a weapon in a drug trafficking crime.

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Authorities announced arrests Wednesday in Georgia where a large amount of methamphetamine was displayed. (via @FBIAtlanta)

His alleged accomplice, Nelson Enrique Sorto, 36, of Atlanta, is charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He is currently on probation after being convicted of methamphetamine possession in 2024.

While surveilling a cold storage facility in Fulton County on Nov. 20, federal agents and Hall County sheriff’s deputies spotted three refrigerated box trucks parked outside.

They tracked one of the trucks to a gas station in Gainesville and watched Solorio-Alvarado pick up the driver and drop off the abandoned box truck at the gas station, according to authorities.

According to authorities, the drugs were allegedly found in box trucks carrying blackberries. (via @FBIAtlanta)

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After the K9 raised the alarm about the odor of narcotics, agents searched the truck and found approximately 661 pounds of methamphetamine hidden among pallets of blackberries.

Solorio-Alvarado was later arrested as he tried to escape out the back of his Gainesville home, according to authorities. Inside the house, deputies found the keys to the abandoned truck.

At the same time, another team of agents tracked a second box truck to a home in southeast Atlanta, along with an SUV allegedly driven by Sorto.

According to authorities, the two men arrested had previously been convicted of drug-related crimes. (via @FBIAtlanta)

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Shortly after midnight, Sorto left the SUV with two passengers and Georgia State Patrol troopers stopped them and found two guns and several containers of berries in the SUV, authorities said.

During a subsequent search of the pickup truck parked outside the Atlanta home, Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents, with assistance from the FBI, found approximately 3,000 pounds of methamphetamine hidden inside pallets of blackberries.

The two seizures totaled 1,585 pounds of methamphetamine.

Authorities said the large amount of meth was worth tens of millions of dollars. (via @FBIAtlanta)

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The two seizures amounted to 1,585 pounds of methamphetamine worth tens of millions of dollars, U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said at a news conference Wednesday.

“Solorio-Alvarado was convicted in federal court of drug trafficking and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and spent nearly two decades in federal prison for those crimes. He was then also a person illegally in the United States as an illegal alien,” Hertzberg said. “We’ve seen cartels operate this way before…we’ve witnessed major drug seizures of methamphetamine smuggled along with cucumbers, celery, or jalapeño peppers. And now…blackberries.”

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Both men will remain in state custody but will be transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service.

After appearing in federal court, Hertzberg said his office would move to have them held without bail until their cases are resolved.

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It is stated that Solorio-Alvarado faces at least 15 years in prison and Sorto faces at least 10 years in prison due to his criminal history. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment without parole.

The cases are as follows Moreover It is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative, established by President Donald Trump’s January 20 “Protecting the American People from Invasion” executive order.