GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Justice said a violent drug dealer will serve almost a decade in prison after being convicted for trafficking fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said Gabriel Ojeda Murguia was convicted for trafficking more than 25 kilograms of fentanyl and other drugs in the Atlanta area.
“The obscene amount of fentanyl Murguia possessed posed a significant threat to public health and public safety. If law enforcement had not stopped it from hitting the street, this poison could have ended tens of thousands of lives,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement.
Justice officials said the way Murguia transported the drugs was unusual, describing how he moved drugs while they were hidden inside of car batteries.
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Murguia is also described as having a violent criminal history, including battery and family violence charges.
Between April 2024 and April 2025, Murguia is said to have sold more than 2,000 fentanyl pills, more than 100 grams of fentanyl powder and a kilogram of methamphetamine.
During an operation where federal agents executed a search warrant at Murguia’s Lilburn, Ga. home, agents found 25 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine hidden inside various car batteries.
Federal officials said the drugs seized included at least 15 kilograms of fentanyl.
Murguia was arrested along with an unnamed man, according to USAO.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said Murguia was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The sentence follows Murguia entering a guilty plea for accusatiosn of possessing fentanyl and meth with intent to distribute and conspiring to do so.
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