Rosa Elena Rangel Pantoja, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Georgia 2022

Rome, GA – In a major blow to methamphetamine trafficking, Rosa Elena Rangel Pantoja, Dustin Burgess, and Berzain Leal Batrez have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in operating a large methamphetamine conversion and distribution organization.

The defendants were convicted of their crimes after a lengthy investigation by law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, FBI, and GBI. The operation, which spanned from at least October 2021 until August 2022, involved the transportation of liquid methamphetamine from Mexico to the Northern District of Georgia in the gas tanks of semi-trucks.

The liquid methamphetamine was then cooked into crystal methamphetamine using clandestine laboratories in Georgia.

According to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, the operation posed a significant threat to public safety, especially when trafficked using the large-scale and international operation utilized by the defendants.

Buchanan praised the vigilance and investigative work of law enforcement partners, which led to the dismantling of the operation and the prosecution of the defendants.

The investigation began in March 2022, when agents were notified that a Hispanic female, later identified as Rangel, was purchasing large amounts of acetone, a critical component in converting liquid methamphetamine into crystal methamphetamine.

Agents suspected Rangel was supplying the acetone to a methamphetamine laboratory.

In August 2022, agents found one of the methamphetamine conversion laboratories in Canon, Georgia, after observing a semi-truck delivering liquid methamphetamine to the lab.

A search warrant was executed and agents seized over 250 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and nearly 10 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.

Rangel rented the property where members of the DTO cooked the methamphetamine on the lower level of a barndominium, while she and her four children lived in the upper level of the same building.

The second laboratory was found in Austell, Georgia, in November 2022, after tracking Batrez’s movements to the Mexico border and back to Georgia.

Agents later observed members of the DTO delivering liquid methamphetamine to the laboratory, and upon executing a search warrant, over 160 gallons of liquid methamphetamine and 75 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine were seized.

The sentences reflect the consequences the defendants received for their destructive impact on communities.

The FBI, DEA, and GBI have committed to holding those accountable who distribute their poison into our communities.

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