Mableton Man, 3 Others Indicted on Federal Drug Charges

A Mableton man and a local distributor for a Mexican drug trafficking cartel were among four people indicted on federal drug and money laundering charges for their roles in the delivery of 75 liters of liquid methamphetamine to an Austell residence.

"A seizure of this size reminds us that Atlanta continues to serve as a focal point for the distribution of methamphetamine," United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said. "Law enforcement agents in our community are doing a remarkable job tracking down and seizing drugs before they can be distributed into our communities."

DEA and IRS agents learned in May that Gabriel Jimenez Antunez, the local distributor, was coordinating the delivery of liquid methamphetamine to metro Atlanta and laundering the proceeds of that drug trafficking activity, said Robert Page, the spokesman for Yates' office.

Javier Munoz Ruiz allegedly made the delivery early May 12 using a Ford F-350 truck. The liquid methamphetamine was inside the truck’s gas tank, Page said.

Martin Ascencio was allegedly in the process of removing the gas tank when agents arrested him, Ruiz, Antunez and Pablo Saucedo Aparicio.

Antunez and Aparicio were at the Austell residence with thermoses, which was to be used to transfer and store the liquid methamphetamine before it was further distributed, Page said.

Agents seized 10 additional pounds of crystal methamphetamine and other evidence after executing search warrants at the Austell residence and others, he said.

Antunez, 39, of Mexico; Aparicio, 38, of Mexico; Ascencio, 49, of Mableton; and Ruiz, 54, of Fort Worth, Texas, were charged with conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.

The charge carries a potential sentence of 10 years to life.