ICE Nets Twice-Deported Criminal And A Mound of Drugs

A Mexican national who had previously been deported from the United States twice was arrested in Georgia after federal agents seized more than 275 pounds of methamphetamine, according to federal authorities.

Pedro Guadarrama-Loza, 38, was arrested on Aug. 13 by Homeland Security Investigations following an operation involving a suspicious shipment headed to the Gainesville, Georgia, area.

The Department of Homeland Security said agents seized 126 kilograms of methamphetamine in connection with the arrest. Guadarrama-Loza also has a previous felony drug-trafficking conviction and had been arrested in Georgia in the past for driving without a valid license.

According to federal officials, Guadarrama-Loza first entered the United States illegally in 2004 near Austin, Texas. He was deported four years later but later returned to the country.

He was convicted in Georgia in 2014 of trafficking controlled substances. After serving his sentence, he was deported again in 2017. Authorities say he later reentered the United States at an unknown time.

The latest case began on July 29, when law enforcement officials identified what the Department of Justice described as a suspicious shipment consisting of five boxes sent from Mexico to the Gainesville area.

U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said the boxes contained roughly 277 pounds of black powder. Testing determined that the material contained methamphetamine.

Authorities allowed the shipment to continue as part of the investigation, and the boxes were delivered to a residence on Aug. 12.

Meet Pedro Guadarrama-Loza, an illegal alien and CONVICTED DRUG TRAFFICKER who was recently arrested after shipping more than 275 POUNDS of methamphetamine to Gainesville, GA.

THANK YOU, ICE, for getting this criminal illegal and his dangerous drugs out of the Ninth District! pic.twitter.com/7AqVcnKSEw

— Rep. Andrew Clyde (@Rep_Clyde) August 17, 2026

Federal prosecutors say Guadarrama-Loza came out of the residence, accepted the boxes and carried them inside. Agents then executed a federal search warrant.

According to the Justice Department, Guadarrama-Loza allegedly tried to escape through the back door of the residence as agents moved in, but he was arrested.

Hertzberg said the case involved an effort to move a large quantity of methamphetamine into North Georgia. He credited coordination among federal and local law enforcement agencies with preventing the drugs from reaching the community.

Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, also described the seizure as an important disruption of a large narcotics shipment. He said cooperation among law enforcement agencies led to the interception of more than 275 pounds of methamphetamine and the arrest of a man who had previously been removed from the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security pointed to Guadarrama-Loza’s immigration and criminal history in announcing the case, noting that he had already been deported twice before his latest arrest.

Federal officials said his prior criminal record includes the 2014 Georgia drug-trafficking conviction. Following that conviction and the completion of his sentence, he was removed from the country in 2017.

Guadarrama-Loza now faces federal charges of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and illegal reentry after removal.

The allegations against him have not yet resulted in a conviction in the current federal case. Prosecutors will have to prove the charges in court.

The investigation adds to broader federal efforts to intercept large drug shipments entering the United States and identify individuals accused of returning to the country after previous deportations.

For Guadarrama-Loza, the latest arrest could carry serious consequences because the case combines a large alleged drug-trafficking operation with a separate charge related to his prior removal from the United States.

The Western Journal