ATLANTA — A Georgia state prison inmate already serving time will spend 25 more years in federal prison after being convicted of orchestrating an international drug and firearms trafficking operation from behind bars.
Federal officials say 38-year-old Servando Corona Penaloza led a massive operation involving drugs, guns, and Mexican cartels while incarcerated in the Georgia prison system.
U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said Penaloza continued committing crimes even while in custody.
“He wasn’t deterred from coming to the United States to commit crime and he wasn’t deterred once he was behind bars from continuing to commit crime,” Hertzberg said.
Authorities say Penaloza used associates to purchase more than 200 military-style firearms, which were transported to Mexico for use by cartels.
“These are not your everyday pistol, or handgun, or a revolver; some of these are highly powered and very expensive firearms that cost tens of thousands of dollars,” Hertzberg said.
Investigators say Penaloza also orchestrated the sale of more than 1,000 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Officials said he coordinated the operation using a contraband cell phone while serving a 30-year state prison sentence.
“This is more of an international case where you’ve got somebody from behind bars trafficking drugs into this country and trafficking weapons out of the country,” Hertzberg said.
Authorities say Penaloza had previously been deported in 2008 and will be deported again after serving his federal sentence.
Assistant Special Agent John Gaudioso confirmed the deportation.
“Once he has served his sentence in federal prison, he will subsequently be deported from the United States,” Gaudioso said.
Hertzberg described Penaloza as “an illegal alien, multi-convicted felon, who continued to engage in crime when he was in state custody.”
Officials say 14 other members of the drug and gun trafficking ring have already been convicted and sentenced, with two more scheduled for sentencing in the coming weeks.
One official added, “Every kilogram seized, and every weapon recovered, is a step toward safer communities.”
WSB Radio’s Lisa Nicholas contributed to this story.