Georgia Man Sentenced to 9 Years in Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl and Methamphetamine
Gabriel Ojeda Murguia was sentenced in federal court after agents seized fentanyl concealed inside vehicle batteries.
By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:37 a.m. ET
On August 12, 2026, Gabriel Ojeda Murguia, 46, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was to nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release for federal drug trafficking offenses, according to records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
United States District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. imposed the sentence following Murguia's May 4, 2026, guilty plea to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute, possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, and conspiring to possess fentanyl with the intent to distribute.
According to court records and information presented by U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg of the Northern District of Georgia, Murguia, also known as "Taliban," sold fentanyl and methamphetamine in Gwinnett County between April 2024 and April 2025. Across multiple transactions, Murguia sold more than 100 grams of fentanyl powder, over 2,000 fentanyl pills, and a kilogram of methamphetamine for $2,700, and offered to sell cocaine for $18,000 per kilogram.
On April 17, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence in Lilburn, Georgia, after observing Murguia enter the home. During the search, agents seized approximately 25 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, including at least 15 kilograms of fentanyl hidden inside vehicle batteries. Murguia, who was previously convicted of battery and family violence battery, was arrested that day alongside another man.
"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 Hertzberg said.
Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham of FBI Atlanta and Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the DEA Atlanta Field Division credited interagency cooperation for the outcome. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth III and Sara Lim prosecuted the case under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
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