A Georgia State Patrol trooper's traffic stop turned up roughly 440 pounds of methamphetamine stuffed into trash bags inside a van, according to federal prosecutors. Gerardo Miranda Mendoza, a 57-year-old Mexican national from Morelia, Mexico, now faces federal drug-conspiracy and illegal-reentry charges and is being held without bail as the case moves through court.
According to WSB-TV, officers searching the van after the stop found several trash bags packed with the drugs. Investigators with the U.S. Attorney's Office say the operation began when Mendoza met another person in separate vehicles at a store parking lot in Stonecrest. From there, as FOX 5 Atlanta reports, the other person allegedly drove Mendoza's van to a warehouse in Conyers.
Van Allegedly Loaded, Then Returned to the Parking Lot
At the warehouse, the other individual allegedly loaded the trash bags of narcotics into the van, then drove it back to the Stonecrest lot and left it there, per the same account from WSB-TV. Mendoza then took control of the van after it returned to the parking lot, according to federal prosecutors, before the Georgia State Patrol trooper pulled him over in Conyers. That stop led directly to the discovery of the drugs.
Authorities have not publicly identified the second person allegedly involved in driving the van to the warehouse and loading it with narcotics, the station's report notes. Investigators also have not disclosed where the roughly 440-pound shipment originated or whether additional arrests are expected, leaving key parts of the supply chain unresolved for now.
Prosecutors Cite Prior Convictions and Removals
Federal prosecutors say Mendoza had been convicted on charges and removed from the United States twice before his most recent arrest. Reports indicate he was convicted of transporting controlled substances in California in 1998 and later convicted of conspiracy to distribute crystal methamphetamine in federal court in 2009, per the same account from FOX 5 Atlanta.
Accounts differ on the timing of Mendoza's most recent deportation. Seed reporting attributed to CBS News places it in 2027, while both FOX 5 Atlanta and WSB-TV reported he was most recently sent back to Mexico in November 2017. Hoodline could not independently resolve the discrepancy.
U.S. Attorney Says Quarter-Ton of Drugs Removed From Street
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said Mendoza allegedly returned to the country illegally and attempted to traffic a massive amount of methamphetamine in the community. “Nearly a quarter-ton of deadly methamphetamine has been taken off the street,” Hertzberg said, according to WSB-TV. He added that Mendoza now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in federal prison.
Mendoza is charged with conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegal reentry by a previously removed alien. He remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol.
Part of a Broader Pattern of Large Meth Seizures in Georgia
The Conyers bust adds to a string of large methamphetamine seizures across Georgia in recent years. Earlier this year, the DEA announced federal charges against two men and a woman tied to a seizure of nearly 500 pounds of methamphetamine in the Marietta area. In 2024, the agency reported an even larger haul, seizing nearly 3,000 pounds of crystal methamphetamine during an enforcement operation at the Atlanta State Farmer's Market in Forest Park.
Mendoza's case was reported by CBS News Atlanta. Federal prosecutors have not said whether more charges are planned as the investigation continues.
