An illegal alien with a lengthy federal prison record is back in the spotlight after authorities seized nearly 1,600 pounds of methamphetamine disguised in blackberry shipments across the Atlanta area.
The massive stash is worth tens of millions of dollars and tied to cartel-style smuggling operations.
Gerardo Solorio-Alvarado, 44, a Mexican national who is illegally in the United States, was indicted Tuesday on charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
His criminal history is extensive.
Solorio-Alvarado previously served 17 years in federal prison for felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in a drug-trafficking crime.
His alleged accomplice, 36-year-old Atlanta resident Nelson Enrique Sorto, was also charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Sorto is currently on probation after a 2024 felony conviction for possession of methamphetamine.
Cartel-Style Operation Uncovered
The investigation unfolded on November 20, when federal agents and Hall County deputies were conducting surveillance at a Fulton County cold-storage warehouse.
They spotted three refrigerated box trucks parked outside and followed one to a gas station in Gainesville.
According to officials, Solorio-Alvarado picked up the truck’s driver and abandoned the vehicle.
After a K-9 alerted officers to narcotics, authorities searched the truck and found 661 pounds of methamphetamine hidden among pallets of blackberries.
Solorio-Alvarado was arrested later the same day after attempting to escape from the back of his Gainesville home.
Inside, deputies found keys to the abandoned truck.
A second box truck was tracked in tandem with an SUV allegedly driven by Sorto to a home in southeast Atlanta.
Shortly after midnight, Sorto left the residence with two passengers.
Georgia State Patrol stopped the SUV and found two guns and several containers of blackberries inside.
Investigators then searched the box truck parked outside the home and discovered another 924 pounds of methamphetamine, also concealed in blackberry pallets.
Combined, the two seizures totaled 1,585 pounds of the drug, one of the largest methamphetamine seizures in the region’s history.
Federal Prosecutor: Illegal Immigration and Cartel Trafficking Go Hand-in-Hand
During a Wednesday press conference, U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg highlighted the scale of the operation and Solorio-Alvarado’s long criminal past.
He emphasized the suspect’s illegal status in the United States, stating:
“Solorio-Alvarado was convicted in federal court for drug trafficking and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and he served nearly two decades in federal prison for those offenses.
“He was then, and he remains, an illegal alien, unlawfully present in the United States.”
Hertzberg also noted that cartels frequently hide drugs inside legitimate produce shipments:
“We’ve seen the cartels operate this way before. …
“We have seen massive methamphetamine seizures of drugs that were smuggled in with cucumbers, celery, or jalapeño peppers. And now … blackberries.”
Next Steps in Prosecution
Both men remain in state custody and will be transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Federal prosecutors plan to request that they be held without bail.
Given his criminal record, Solorio-Alvarado faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison, while Sorto faces at least 10 years.
Both could receive life sentences without parole.
The case is being prosecuted under President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF).
The HSTF was created by Trump’s January 20 executive order “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.”
It is part of the administration’s renewed crackdown on cross-border cartel trafficking and illegal immigration.
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