Two people were arrested after federal authorities found hundreds of pounds of illegal drugs stashed inside a semi truck loaded with produce at a warehouse in Georgia.
Officials say that on June 30, 2025, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents learned that a tractor trailer parked at a warehouse in Gainesville, Georgia, possibly contained a large shipment of drugs.
Agents spotted a sedan next to the semi truck, with Andres Jasso, Jr., 37, in the driver’s seat and Rufino Pineda-Perez, 59, in the passenger seat.
When the tractor trailer was searched, agents discovered 20 pallets of boxes containing cucumbers. Within the boxes, the DEA uncovered thousands of individually wrapped packages of methamphetamine, officials said.
“Jasso, Jr. and Pineda-Perez were allegedly tasked with offloading the shipment from the tractor-trailer and separating the drugs from the cucumbers. After DEA agents arrested Jasso, Jr. and Pineda-Perez, the agents learned that the total quantity of methamphetamine seized exceeded 700 pounds,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
On July 1, Jasso, Jr. and Pineda-Perez were charged with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Pineda-Perez was additionally charged with illegal reentry by a removed alien.
“Pineda-Perez is allegedly a citizen and national of Mexico with no legal status in the United States. In 2001, Pineda-Perez was deported and removed from the United States following a felony conviction in Arizona for transporting marijuana. He illegally re-entered the United States thereafter and was encountered by federal agents in March 2014, while transporting nearly one kilogram of cocaine in the Atlanta area. In August 2015, a federal judge sentenced him to six and a half years of imprisonment. Upon completion of his prison sentence, Pineda-Perez was deported for a second time,” officials said.
The case is under investigation by the DEA with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Thanks to the diligent work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, a tremendous amount of meticulously concealed methamphetamine was located, was seized, and will never hit the street,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our office will aggressively prosecute criminals who attempt to use North Georgia as a distribution hub for their deadly poisons.”
“This case represents the continued commitment of the DEA to identify and hold accountable those who engage in the distribution of dangerous drugs,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority.”
