ATLANTA — A cartel member that was extradited from Guatemala for trying to distribute meth to the Atlanta area was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison.
Pablo Tabares-Martinez, 50, a member of the La Nueva Familia Michoacana, pleaded guilty and was convicted in January for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Chief United States District Judge Leigh Martin May sentenced Tabares-Martinez to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Authorities say the La Nueva Familia Michoacana cartel is violent and is responsible for the transportation and distribution of 12 tons of methamphetamine, 13 tons of opioids, including heroin and fentanyl, and 18 tons of cocaine in the United States.
Tabares-Martinez, a Mexican resident, was a mid-level member of the cartel, He orchestrated the sale of one kilogram of methamphetamine to an individual in the Atlanta area in November of 2021. He also contacted the purchaser to confirm the methamphetamine was high quality.
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Tabares-Martinez and other La Nueva Familia Michoacana members established a transportation route for 150 kilograms of cocaine from Colombia to Atlanta in 2022 and 2023. Law enforcement in Guatemala arrested Tabares-Martinez in March 2023 after he traveled there to inspect the cocaine, and he was extradited to the Northern District of Georgia in November of that year. He has remained in Georgia in federal custody.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. Guatemalan law enforcement provided valuable assistance in Tabares-Martinez’s arrest.
Assistant United States Attorneys Bethany L. Rupert and Laurel B. Milam prosecuted the case.
The prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location.
“The successful extradition and prosecution of Tabares-Martinez reflect my office’s commitment to eliminating dangerous cartels that seek to introduce drugs into our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “This case also sends a strong message to cartel members who transport deadly drugs destined for the Northern District of Georgia: we will find you and bring you here to face justice.”
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