A high-ranking member of a violent Mexican drug cartel will spend the next decade behind bars after orchestrating methamphetamine sales in metro Atlanta.
🌎 The Big Picture: Pablo Tabares-Martinez, 50, was a mid-level operative in La Nueva Familia Michoacana, a cartel responsible for trafficking approximately 12 tons of methamphetamine, 13 tons of opioids, and 18 tons of cocaine into the United States annually, according to prosecutors.
💊 What Happened: Federal authorities say Tabares-Martinez arranged the sale of one kilogram of methamphetamine to someone in Atlanta in November 2021. After the transaction, he contacted the buyer to confirm the quality of the drugs.
🔗 Between the Lines: The case involved international cooperation, with Guatemalan authorities arresting Tabares-Martinez in March 2023 while he was inspecting a cocaine shipment. He was later extradited to Georgia to face federal charges.
🧩 The Investigation: According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg, Tabares-Martinez and other cartel members had established a transportation route for 150 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Atlanta before his arrest.
⚖️ The Outcome: Chief U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May sentenced Tabares-Martinez to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
🚔 The Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Department of Homeland Security.
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B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
