ATLANTA — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.

ATLANTA – Ismael Guerrero-Moya, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his role in coordinating the distribution of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine from his Waycross, Georgia prison cell. Four other members of the trafficking ring previously were sentenced to lengthy prison terms.

“This illegal alien, who was serving a 30-year sentence for methamphetamine trafficking, orchestrated large-scale drug dealing using a contraband phone in state prison and a network of meth cooks and drug traffickers beyond prison walls,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “As a result of seamless coordination of federal, state, and local authorities in the Homeland Security Task Force, Guerrero-Moya’s operation has been dismantled, and he is now headed to federal prison for 30 years without the possibility of parole.” 

“This case is a powerful example of what can be accomplished when federal, state, and local partners come together through the Homeland Security Task Force. Despite being incarcerated, this defendant continued coordinating the distribution of hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “HSTF partnerships allow us to connect investigative resources, disrupt sophisticated trafficking networks, and ensure that those who threaten our communities are brought to justice.”

“Guerrero-Moya’s continued criminal activity from inside a state prison shows the persistent threat posed by transnational drug traffickers who exploit every opportunity to keep poisoning our communities,” said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. “Using a contraband phone and outside criminal associates, he directed a methamphetamine trafficking network that moved hundreds of pounds of dangerous drugs. HSI and our federal, state, and local partners will continue to target and dismantle these organizations wherever they operate to protect public safety and hold offenders accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2012, a Superior Court judge in Fayette County, Georgia sentenced Guerrero-Moya to 30 years in prison for trafficking methamphetamine and possessing a firearm during commission of a felony. While serving his sentence in state prison, Guerrero-Moya used a contraband cell phone to resume his drug trafficking operation, with the assistance of Michael Childers, who used an auto repair shop to conceal methamphetamine in vehicles. In addition, Salvador Bolanos Villalpando and Jose Jovani Toledo operated a methamphetamine conversion laboratory in Ellenwood, Georgia on behalf of Guerrero-Moya. The organization also included Kamal Hussein Espinosa, a multi-kilogram methamphetamine dealer, who purchased methamphetamine from Guerrero-Moya while on parole for a prior drug trafficking conviction.

In March 2020, federal investigators, working with state partners, dismantled Guerrero-Moya’s drug network through a series of seizures and arrests, taking over 500 pounds of methamphetamine off the street, including 150 pounds of methamphetamine seized from a residence in Ellenwood, Georgia, and 30 pounds of methamphetamine recovered from a vehicle in Atlanta, Georgia. 

Yesterday, Ismael Guerrero-Moya, 51, of Dieciocho de Marzo, Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced to 30 years in prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Guerrero-Moya was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on September 10, 2025, after he pleaded guilty. 

The following defendants were previously sentenced in this case:

  • Salvador Bolanos Villalpando, 56, of Buenavista Tomatlán, Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced to ten years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
  • Jose Jovani Toledo, 36, of Torrance, California, was sentenced to six years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
  • Michael Childers, 51, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to seven years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
  • Kamal Hussein Espinosa, 44, of Dallas, Georgia, was sentenced to fourteen years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and money laundering.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations, with valuable assistance provided by Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Corrections, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

Assistant United States Attorneys John T. DeGenova and Matthew R. LaGrone, and former Special Assistant United States Attorney Rachel Lyons, prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is 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 is comprised of 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 United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.