Feds Dismantle Cross-Border Meth Ring Using Jalapeño Shipments To Move Thousands Of Kilos Into Georgia

A sweeping federal investigation has dismantled a major methamphetamine trafficking network that moved thousands of kilograms of drugs from Mexico into Georgia, converting liquid meth into crystal form inside a Walton County residence and distributing finished product across the region.

According to the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Georgia, a dozen defendants have pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the Operation Take Back America probe, which uncovered meth hidden in boxes of jalapeños and funneled through an Athens auto shop.

“This Operation Take Back America case amplifies the kind of major law enforcement efforts occurring across the Middle District of Georgia, focused on breaking dangerous cartels and armed drug trafficking organizations that destroy lives,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “I commend our dedicated federal, state and local law enforcement partners who work side-by-side with our office to bring justice and make our communities safer.”

Court filings describe a sophisticated supply chain that began with methamphetamine shipments smuggled from Mexico in truckloads of jalapeños. The drugs arrived at a house on Mountain Creek Church Road in Monroe, Ga., which served as an active conversion laboratory. Federal agents later found more than four kilograms of finished crystal meth inside the residence, along with liquid methamphetamine that the DEA estimates would produce over 300 kilograms of finished product.

A drug ledger discovered during the search documented that from Feb. 28, 2024, to Aug. 8, 2024, 1,546.5 kilograms of methamphetamine had been converted inside the home. Investigators believe approximately 3,200 kilograms arrived there inside jalapeño boxes from four separate shipments.

“The vast amount of methamphetamine being supplied is truly alarming and serves as a strong reminder that even in safe, close-knit communities like Walton County, we must stay vigilant,” said Walton County Sheriff Keith Brooks.

“This investigation is a prime example of the critical work being done to dismantle violent drug trafficking organizations that operate with impunity, bringing dangerous narcotics into our communities,” said Paul Bown, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Office.

The investigation began in January 2024, when the FBI in Athens received information that James Len Ramey was selling kilogram quantities of methamphetamine from Rapid Lube, an Athens car maintenance shop where he worked. FBI agents used pole cameras and confidential informants to track meth distribution at the shop, making controlled purchases totaling more than six kilograms of pure methamphetamine and several ounces of cocaine between Jan. 19 and June 25, 2024.

Agents learned that Ramey was being supplied by individuals operating the conversion site in Walton County and received large drug shipments through courier Kendell Cawthon, who was frequently directed to meet unidentified men and women in parking lots around metro Atlanta.

On June 30, 2024, FBI surveillance captured Ramey and Cawthon loading boxes into Cawthons truck at Rapid Lube. Minutes later, a Georgia State Patrol traffic stop revealed approximately 20 kilograms of pure methamphetamine inside the boxes. Ramey was arrested on July 3 and admitted he was being supplied with multiple kilograms of meth, telling investigators he met his supplier while serving a prison sentence in Georgia. In the weeks after his arrest, Rapid Lube employees discovered an additional six kilograms of suspected methamphetamine hidden inside oil filter boxes at the shop.

On Aug. 13, agents watched occupants of the Mountain Creek House load a Chevrolet Traverse with boxes and travel to a Home Depot parking lot in Monroe. They observed an apparent drug exchange with the occupants of a Chevrolet Camaro bearing Alabama plates. Walton County Sheriffs Office deputies stopped the Camaro and found four kilograms of pure methamphetamine inside the box that had just been transferred. The driver, Ebony Jones-Tate, and passenger, Jared Kenyatta Calhoun, were arrested.

A subsequent stop of the Traverse led to the arrests of Uriel Garcia, Yuritzi Adame Gomez, Yirla Adame Gomez, and Rafael Gomez Flores after agents found 983.3 grams of pure methamphetamine and $4,350 in cash. A federal search warrant executed at the Mountain Creek residence uncovered the functioning conversion lab as well as hundreds of pounds of rotting jalapeños outside, matching the concealment method documented in phone evidence seized from the defendants.

Twelve defendants have now pleaded guilty. Seven of them — Ramey; Cawthon; Bonterris Turner; Demetrius Appling; Yirla Adame Gomez; Rafael Gomez Flores; and Andrea Robinson — will be sentenced on Jan. 12, 2026. Yuretzi Adame Gomez will be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2026. Four additional co-conspirators have already been sentenced: Christopher Hyatt to 292 months in prison; Uriel Garcia to 240 months; Jared Kenyatta Calhoun to 210 months; and Ebony Jones-Tate to 90 days of home confinement and three years of supervised release.

All defendants who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine face maximum life sentences and mandatory minimums of ten years in prison, along with fines of up to $10 million.