Two Mexican nationals, Juan Perez-Maldonado and Francisco Garcia Gomez, have been charged with federal crimes related to the operation of a methamphetamine lab in Cobb County, Georgia.
According to a federal complaint, Perez-Maldonado and Garcia Gomez were arrested on June 4, 2025 after a search warrant was executed at a mobile home in Marietta, Georgia. The search warrant was part of an investigation into the production and distribution of methamphetamine in the Smyrna area.
During the search, law enforcement agents discovered an active laboratory used to convert liquid methamphetamine into a crystal-like form, as well as at least 13 kilograms of what appeared to be the finished drug product. Agents also found two handguns, including one hidden in the tank of a toilet, and money remitter receipts bearing the names of Perez-Maldonado and Garcia Gomez.
Additionally, agents located a bag containing a loaded Glock pistol, two additional loaded firearm magazines, and identification for Perez-Maldonado in a baby’s crib at an apartment in Smyrna. Elsewhere in the apartment, agents found a Springfield XD firearm and a mechanical press used to press powder into kilogram bricks.
The investigation revealed that Perez-Maldonado and Hernandez-Jijon had been previously deported and removed from the United States. Hernandez-Jijon is currently a fugitive and is being sought by law enforcement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration and other law enforcement agencies. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating the flow of illegal drugs and protecting communities from violent crime.
Related Federal Cases
- Telly Savalas Carswell, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Georgia 2020 · Louisiana
- Robert Poliero, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Maine 2019 · Massachusetts
- Chadric Antonio Rhaney, Cocaine Trafficking, Georgia 2024 · Alabama
- Markeis Ivy, Possession of Multiple Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, Tennessee 2019 · Tennessee
- Ronald Freeman, Marijuana Trafficking, Tennessee 2021 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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