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ICE Nabs Twice-Deported, Previously Convicted Drug Trafficker with 126 Kilos of Meth in Georgia

An illegal immigrant from Mexico who had been deported twice was arrested recently after a major methamphetamine bust in Georgia.

Pedro Guadarrama-Loza was arrested on Aug. 13 by Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

Agents seized 126 kilograms of methamphetamine at the time, according to a Department of Homeland Security news release.

Guadarrama-Loza has a past conviction for felony-level drug trafficking and a prior arrest in Georgia for driving without a valid driver's license.

"This criminal illegal alien from Mexico was arrested with 126 kilograms of methamphetamine, has prior convictions for drug trafficking, and has already been deported from our country TWICE," a DHS representative said.

"Thanks to the hard work of the brave men and women of HSI, this drug trafficker is off our streets and will soon be removed from our country. He will no longer be able to peddle his poison on American streets and endanger American lives."

Guadarrama-Loza has been in and out of the U.S. for more than 20 years. He illegally entered the U.S. in 2004 near Austin, Texas. Four years later, he was deported.

At some unknown point, he re-entered the U.S. prior to being deported in 2017, and then slipped back in at an unknown date.

According to a Department of Justice news release, on July 29, law enforcement officials identified a "suspicious shipment of five boxes from Mexico en route to the Gainesville, Georgia area."

The boxes had 277 pounds worth of black powder that tested positive for methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said.

The boxes were delivered on Aug. 12.

At that point, "Loza allegedly emerged from the residence, took possession of the boxes, and went inside. Agents executed a federal search warrant on the residence, seized the boxes, and arrested Loza, who was attempting to flee out of the back door," the release said.

Loza had a 2014 Georgia conviction for trafficking in controlled substances and was deported in 2017 after completing his sentence.

"This illegal alien, convicted felon, and drug dealer allegedly attempted to coordinate the trafficking of a massive amount of methamphetamine in North Georgia," Hertzberg said.

"Due to the skilled coordination of our law enforcement partners, a load of deadly drugs concealed in industrial powder was seized, and Loza now faces serious charges in federal court," he added.

"This seizure represents a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to disrupt the flow of dangerous narcotics into our communities. By working closely with our local and federal partners, HSI agents successfully intercepted over 275 pounds of methamphetamine and apprehended an individual who had already been removed from the United States," Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, said.

Loza, 38, was charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and illegal reentry by a previously removed alien.

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