Cartel Drug Supplier Sentenced to Life in Prison

MACON, Ga. — A Jefferson man who supplied fentanyl and methamphetamine for a Mexican cartel was sentenced to life in federal prison on November 5, federal prosecutors announced.

Read the Justice Department release: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/homeland-security-task-force-announces-cartel-linked-drug-trafficking-cases

The Life Sentence, The Cartel Link, The Warning Call

Josue Serda, 28, of Jefferson, Georgia, was sentenced to life in prison by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. "Tripp" Self III on November 5, the release stated. Serda was found guilty on July 8, following a seven-day trial, of one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, four counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of distribution of methamphetamine on premises where a person under 18 was present, and one count of possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, the release stated.

There is no parole in the federal system, the release stated.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Serda was convicted for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed more than seven kilograms of fentanyl and more than 50 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Athens area between January 2024 and May 2025, the release stated.

Investigators identified Serda as a supplier for the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) operating in the Athens area, the release stated.

During an August 26, 2025, FBI SWAT operation to arrest Serda, his girlfriend told agents that he was communicating with cartel associates in Mexico, the release stated. Records showed that at 6:06 a.m. on the morning of his arrest, Serda called his co-defendant and drug supplier in Mexico, Alicio Yanez-Pineda, also known as "Cochito," via WhatsApp and warned him that the FBI was at his residence, instructing him to have a truck scheduled to deliver narcotics later that day "turn around," the release stated.

Serda also has a history of threatening law enforcement officers, the release stated. In 2015, he was convicted of threatening a police officer and told the officer he would send members of his cartel to the officer's home, the release stated.

The Thirty-Year Sentence, The Gulf Cartel Cocaine, The Stash Apartments

Orlando Muckle, also known as "Lando," 52, of Athens, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 360 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, by Judge Self on November 5, after he pleaded guilty on August 6 to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, the release stated. There is no parole in the federal system, the release stated.

According to court documents, Muckle distributed large quantities of cocaine in the Athens area that he obtained through sources associated with the Gulf Cartel, the release stated.

During the investigation, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct multiple controlled purchases of cocaine from Muckle, the release stated. FBI surveillance revealed that Muckle stored cocaine at an apartment on Jennings Mill Parkway and used a second apartment on Macon Highway to facilitate drug transactions, the release stated.

When search warrants were executed in July 2025, agents seized 26 kilograms of cocaine that Muckle admitted he intended to distribute, the release stated.

The Cabbages, The One Hundred Kilograms, The Detention

Raul Perez-Mondragon, 30, of Queretaro, Mexico, is charged by indictment in Case No. 3:26-CR-17 with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a person illegally in the United States, the release stated.

Perez-Mondragon had his initial appearance before U.S. District Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle on November 5 and remains detained in federal custody, the release stated.

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt, the release stated.

According to the indictment and court documents, Perez-Mondragon, a Mexican national unlawfully present in the United States, was allegedly a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in Athens with ties to a transnational criminal organization, the release stated.

Perez-Mondragon is allegedly responsible for receiving and distributing large quantities of narcotics in the Athens area, the release stated. As part of the operation, methamphetamine was allegedly concealed inside cabbages wrapped in green cellophane to avoid detection, the release stated. Investigators learned that each package contained approximately one kilogram of methamphetamine and that shipments to the drug trafficking organization allegedly contained as many as 300 kilogram-sized packages at a time, the release stated.

During surveillance in November 2025, investigators observed Perez-Mondragon allegedly distributing large quantities of narcotics from 123 Deer Creek Court in Athens, the release stated. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence, seizing more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and multiple firearms, the release stated. Perez-Mondragon is subject to an immigration detainer, the release stated.

"Two cartel-linked drug traffickers who distributed large quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine received lengthy sentences and a third defendant now faces federal charges involving more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine and firearms allegedly tied to a transnational criminal organization," U.S. Attorney Will Keyes stated.

"Cartel-connected drug trafficking organizations pose a serious threat to our communities, fueling violence and putting lives at risk through the distribution of deadly drugs and the proliferation of illegal firearms," Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, stated.

These investigations and prosecutions are part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, the release stated. The HSTF is a United States government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, transnational gangs, and transnational criminal organizations worldwide, the release stated. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from the ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, the release stated.

The Serda and Muckle cases were investigated by the FBI, DEA, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, with the assistance of the GBI and the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the release stated. The Perez-Mondragon case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, DEA, and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the release stated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the cases for the Government, the release stated.

Serda will spend the rest of his life in federal prison, and Muckle will serve 30 years before a decade of supervised release, the release stated. Perez-Mondragon remains detained in federal custody as his case proceeds, the release stated.

Sources

U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, "Homeland Security Task Force Announces Cartel-Linked Drug Trafficking Cases," November 5, 2026: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/homeland-security-task-force-announces-cartel-linked-drug-trafficking-cases