ATLANTA — Nearly 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine concealed inside pallets of blackberries were seized in a major federal bust that authorities say disrupted a multimillion-dollar trafficking operation tied to cartel methods. The details were first reported by FOX News, which DOJO credits as the source.
What Happened?
Federal agents and Hall County sheriff’s deputies intercepted two refrigerated box trucks on November 20 after staking out a cold-storage warehouse in Fulton County. Investigators watched as one truck was abandoned at a Gainesville gas station, where a K-9 unit later alerted officers to narcotics.
Inside the truck, agents found 661 pounds of methamphetamine hidden among blackberry pallets.
A short time later, officers arrested Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, 44, who allegedly tried escaping out the back of his Gainesville home. Deputies recovered keys linking him to the abandoned truck.
Second Truck Leads to Larger Discovery
At the same time, another team tailed a second box truck traveling alongside an SUV allegedly driven by Nelson Enrique Sorto, 36. After a traffic stop, troopers found two guns and blackberry containers inside the SUV.
A subsequent search of the truck revealed another 924 pounds of methamphetamine, bringing the total seizure to 1,585 pounds — worth tens of millions of dollars.
Who Are the Suspects?
Solorio-Alvarado, a Mexican national previously convicted of drug trafficking and firearm charges, had already served 17 years in federal prison. Officials say he remains unlawfully in the U.S. Because of his criminal history, he faces at least 15 years if convicted.
Sorto, currently on probation from a 2024 felony meth possession conviction, faces a minimum of 10 years.
Both suspects are being held in state custody and will be moved to the U.S. Marshals Service. Federal prosecutors plan to seek detention without bail.
What Authorities Are Saying
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said the scale of the seizure reflects patterns long seen in cartel smuggling operations.
“We’ve seen massive methamphetamine smuggled in with cucumbers, celery, jalapeños — and now blackberries,” he said.
Hertzberg added that both cases fall under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
