An Ellijay man was one of three people sentenced as part of a methamphetamine conversion and distribution organization.
Dustin Burgess, 36, of Ellijay, was sentenced to 13 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release. Burgess pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 5, 2023.
Also sentenced were: Rosa Rangel, 40, of Canon, to 15 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; and Berzain Leal Batrez, 44, of Chicago, Ill., to seven years, 11 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Martha Karina Rangel-Pantoja, 42, of Ellijay, is set to be sentenced in the case on Jan. 13, 2025, and Uriel Plancarte Mendoza, 31, of Canon, on March 21, 2025.
“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat to our communities, and to the lives of several children who lived in close proximity to this highly volatile clandestine lab,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “The success of this investigation is proof that those destroying our communities with methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs will be held accountable.”
From at least October 2021 until August 2022, Rosa Elena Rangel Pantoja (“Rangel”) led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that manufactured crystal methamphetamine in Georgia. Members of the DTO transported liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to the northern district of Georgia in the gas tanks of semi-trucks. The DTO members then pumped the liquid methamphetamine out of the semitrucks and cooked it into crystal methamphetamine, using at least two clandestine laboratories to convert the methamphetamine, according to court testimony and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan.
Law enforcement began an investigation in March 2022 following a tip Rangel was purchasing large amounts of acetone which can be used to convert liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.
A search warrant was executed in August 2022 on a barndominium where Rangel lived with her four children. Over 250 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and nearly 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine were seized.
A second lab was discovered in Austell, where agents seized over 160 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and 75 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Agents tracked Batrez’s movements to Mexico and back to Georgia which led to the discovery, according to the release.
“Methamphetamine production and distribution continues to pose a grave threat to public safety, especially when trafficked using the large-scale and international operation utilized by the defendants in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Buchanan. “Thanks to the vigilance and investigative work of our law enforcement partners, this operation has been dismantled, and these drug traffickers have been prosecuted for their crimes.”
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, Calhoun Police Department, Cherokee County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Office, Pickens County Sheriff’s Office, Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office, Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Murray County Sheriff’s Office, Dalton Police Department, Chatsworth Police Department, Gilmer County Homeland Security Agency and Tennessee 10th Judicial District Drug Task Force.