Illegal Aliens Sentenced for Laundering Over a Million Dollars in Drug Proceeds (DOJ)

ATLANTA - Lucio Hernandez-Mora and Sandra Bejarano-Garcia, illegal aliens from Mexico, have been sentenced to federal prison for laundering over one million dollars in drug proceeds. Hernandez-Mora was also sentenced for possessing two firearms as an illegal alien.

"Drug traffickers enrich themselves, and the narco-terrorist cartels that supply them, by spreading poison in our communities," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Through the newly formed Homeland Security Task Force, the Department of Justice is employing every resource to identify, arrest and prosecute criminals who participate in the deadly drug trade. The sentences imposed on these illegal aliens who were entrusted with enormous amounts of cash and responsible for moving that money for cartel bosses send a strong message that anyone who supports drug trafficking will face significant punishment."

"This case highlights the importance of targeting the financial infrastructure that supports drug trafficking organizations," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "Laundering criminal proceeds allows these organizations to operate, recruit, and expand. Through close coordination with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, the DEA will continue to identify and dismantle the financial networks that enable these dangerous criminal operations."

"This case underscores the critical importance of interagency collaboration in combating drug-related crimes. The partnership between the DEA and ATF has proven essential in dismantling the financial networks that support drug trafficking. Together, we will ensure that those who exploit our communities for profit face the full force of the law," said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: On December 9, 2024, Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia delivered $674,905 in bulk-cash drug proceeds to co-conspirators in College Park, Georgia. Then, on February 25, 2025, Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia delivered $480,000 in bulk-cash drug proceeds to co-conspirators in Riverdale, Georgia.

On April 1, 2025, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendants' residence and located an additional $217,810 in drug proceeds. Agents also found two firearms that Hernandez-Mora purchased unlawfully. The investigation revealed that both Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia are illegal aliens from Mexico.

Earlier today, Sandra Bejarano-Garcia, 42, of Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert to four years, three months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Bejarano-Garcia was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, after she pleaded guilty on September 30, 2025.

On January 21, 2026, Judge Calvert sentenced Lucio Hernandez-Mora, 45, of Guerrero, Mexico, to three years and ten months in prison to be followed by two years of supervised release. Hernandez-Mora was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering and possessing firearms as an illegal alien, after he pleaded guilty on August 27, 2025.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with valuable assistance provided by the Clayton County Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Hall prosecuted the case.

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, 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.

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.