Mexican illegal alien and convicted felon both face federal charges after Norcross drug busts

ATLANTA - Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, a convicted felon, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, an illegal alien from Mexico, face federal charges after law enforcement seized at least 30 pounds of fentanyl, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, and two loaded firearms in drug trafficking operations in Norcross, Georgia this week.

"The defendants conducted their alleged narcotics trafficking in public with no fear of being caught," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "These arrests and charges send yet another strong message to the methamphetamine and fentanyl traffickers operating in our communities: we work in lockstep with our law enforcement partners to take your deadly drugs off the street and prosecute you in federal court."

"Fentanyl and methamphetamine destroy lives, and those who traffic these drugs while carrying firearms put entire communities at risk," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "Through the DEA's Fentanyl Free America Campaign, we will continue to pursue and dismantle the networks responsible for distributing these deadly substances."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On the afternoon of March 11, 2026, DEA agents observed Benjamin Alberto Lozoya allegedly sell over four pounds of methamphetamine to an individual in a Norcross, Georgia parking lot. Agents then followed Lozoya to a trailer residence a short distance away. While watching the area, agents observed Lozoya exit a nearby shed, walk to another suspected drug transaction, and deliver approximately $11,000 in cash to a waiting vehicle. Agents quickly arrested Lozoya and found a stolen loaded handgun in his pocket and approximately six pounds of methamphetamine in his backpack. Agents searched the shed and found over 18 pounds of fentanyl in the form of purple bricks, as well as about 25 pounds of a white crystalline substance that was consistent in appearance with methamphetamine.

The investigation revealed that Lozoya was previously convicted in DeKalb County Superior Court in April 2023 of drug distribution, possessing a firearm or knife during the commission of a felony, and evidence tampering.

That same afternoon, DEA agents observed Arturo Carreno-Rivera allegedly conduct a suspected drug transaction with an individual at a Norcross gas station. A short time later, a Georgia State Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop of Carreno-Rivera's car on Buford Highway in Norcross. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement found over a pound of fentanyl. DEA agents subsequently executed a search warrant atCarreno-Rivera's Norcross residence, where they located an additional 11 pounds of fentanyl and a loaded semi-automatic handgun.

The investigation revealed that Carreno-Rivera is a Mexican national with no legal status in the United States.

Benjamin Alberto Lozoya, 27, of Chamblee, Georgia, and Arturo Carreno-Rivera, 45, of Mexico, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Elizabeth McBath earlier today on criminal complaints charging them with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine (Lozoya) and possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl (Carreno-Rivera).

Members of the public are reminded that the criminal complaints only contain charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government's burden to prove the defendants' guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, the Gwinnett County Police Department, and the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III, Johnny Baer, and Bernard Eyth are prosecuting the cases.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

These prosecutions are also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF comprises agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: https://www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.