Lucio Hernandez-Mora and Sandra Bejarano-Garcia, both Mexican nationals living illegally in the United States, have been sentenced to federal prison for laundering more than one million dollars in drug proceeds. Hernandez-Mora also received a sentence for possessing two firearms as an illegal alien.
“Drug traffickers enrich themselves, and the narco-terrorist cartels that supply them, by spreading poison in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Through the newly formed Homeland Security Task Force, the Department of Justice is employing every resource to identify, arrest and prosecute criminals who participate in the deadly drug trade. The sentences imposed on these illegal aliens who were entrusted with enormous amounts of cash and responsible for moving that money for cartel bosses send a strong message that anyone who supports drug trafficking will face significant punishment.”
“This case highlights the importance of targeting the financial infrastructure that supports drug trafficking organizations,” said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Laundering criminal proceeds allows these organizations to operate, recruit, and expand. Through close coordination with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners, the DEA will continue to identify and dismantle the financial networks that enable these dangerous criminal operations.”
“This case underscores the critical importance of interagency collaboration in combating drug-related crimes. The partnership between the DEA and ATF has proven essential in dismantling the financial networks that support drug trafficking. Together, we will ensure that those who exploit our communities for profit face the full force of the law,” said ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Todd.
Court records show that on December 9, 2024, Hernandez-Mora and Bejarano-Garcia delivered $674,905 in bulk-cash drug proceeds to co-conspirators in College Park, Georgia. On February 25, 2025, they delivered another $480,000 to co-conspirators in Riverdale, Georgia. Law enforcement later executed a search warrant at their residence on April 1, 2025, where they found an additional $217,810 in suspected drug proceeds along with two unlawfully purchased firearms by Hernandez-Mora.
Sandra Bejarano-Garcia was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Victoria M. Calvert to four years and three months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering on September 30, 2025.
Lucio Hernandez-Mora was sentenced on January 21, 2026 by Judge Calvert to three years and ten months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and possessing firearms as an illegal alien.
The investigation was led by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from Clayton County Police Department. The prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Austin Hall.
This case falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative using all resources available within the Department of Justice against illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations—and is also part of efforts under Executive Order 14159 through the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF). The HSTF involves multiple federal agencies working together against cartels and human smuggling rings operating domestically or abroad.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia served as lead prosecutor for this case; it acts as principal federal law enforcement agency across north Georgia—including Atlanta—handling criminal prosecutions such as this one involving international elements [source]. Led by Theodore S. Hertzberg [source], this office coordinates closely with other agencies nationwide [source].
For more information about this office’s work serving millions across north Georgia [source], visit its official website.
