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.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
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.
