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Andria Simmons
A "big fish" in the La Familia cartel was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday in Gwinnett County.
Prosecutors said Jose Pineda, 43, arranged for the importation and distribution of millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico from his home base in Lawrenceville. The drugs were shipped from stash houses in the Atlanta area to sites along the eastern seaboard. Profits were shipped back to Mexico.
Pineda was among 80 people arrested in Gwinnett County in 2009 as part of a huge joint investigation between local and federal authorities that was dubbed "Project Coronado." More than 300 people were arrested in 19 states as part of a two-day sweep, which was aimed at dismantling the La Familia cartel.
La Familia is a violent drug trafficking organization based in the state of Michoacán, in southwestern Mexico.
Police who searched Pineda's home at 160 River Circle in Lawrenceville found multiple handguns and an assault rifle stashed throughout the residence where his wife and three children also resided-- the firearms were concealed under couch cushions, atop an entertainment center, behind the bed.
They also found several pounds of methamphetamine in a false floor of a closet bedroom, and a case of 24 Corona bottles that actually contained liquid methamphetamine.
Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Dan Mayfield said that he considers Pineda the local ringleader, because Pineda used his extended family and their friends as mules, couriers, money-collectors and drug processors to further the cartel's goals.
"He supports them financially," Mayfield said. "Nobody had jobs, nobody worked."
None of the 80 arrested in Gwinnett County agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, even when offered plea deals with greatly reduced sentences, because they feared Pineda would seek retribution, Mayfield said.
Pineda, who is an illegal immigrant, will be subject to deportation as soon as he is paroled.
Andria Simmons
A "big fish" in the La Familia cartel was sentenced to 35 years in prison on Wednesday in Gwinnett County.
Prosecutors said Jose Pineda, 43, arranged for the importation and distribution of millions of dollars worth of methamphetamine and cocaine from Mexico from his home base in Lawrenceville. The drugs were shipped from stash houses in the Atlanta area to sites along the eastern seaboard. Profits were shipped back to Mexico.
Pineda was among 80 people arrested in Gwinnett County in 2009 as part of a huge joint investigation between local and federal authorities that was dubbed "Project Coronado." More than 300 people were arrested in 19 states as part of a two-day sweep, which was aimed at dismantling the La Familia cartel.
La Familia is a violent drug trafficking organization based in the state of Michoacán, in southwestern Mexico.
Police who searched Pineda's home at 160 River Circle in Lawrenceville found multiple handguns and an assault rifle stashed throughout the residence where his wife and three children also resided-- the firearms were concealed under couch cushions, atop an entertainment center, behind the bed.
They also found several pounds of methamphetamine in a false floor of a closet bedroom, and a case of 24 Corona bottles that actually contained liquid methamphetamine.
Deputy Chief Assistant District Attorney Dan Mayfield said that he considers Pineda the local ringleader, because Pineda used his extended family and their friends as mules, couriers, money-collectors and drug processors to further the cartel's goals.
"He supports them financially," Mayfield said. "Nobody had jobs, nobody worked."
None of the 80 arrested in Gwinnett County agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, even when offered plea deals with greatly reduced sentences, because they feared Pineda would seek retribution, Mayfield said.
Pineda, who is an illegal immigrant, will be subject to deportation as soon as he is paroled.