A Georgia state prisoner who was already serving time now has 25 more years to think about it, after federal prosecutors say he ran a sprawling weapons and drug trafficking ring tied to a Mexican cartel from inside his cell. Investigators say the operation pushed more than a ton of methamphetamine and fentanyl onto U.S. streets and helped line up buyers for hundreds of military-style firearms meant for Mexico, all while spotlighting how contraband cellphones and straw purchasers can supercharge criminal networks inside state facilities.
How investigators say he did it
Servando Corona Penaloza, identified in court records by the nickname “Armani,” was sentenced in Atlanta after pleading guilty in November, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. Prosecutors say the 38-year-old Mexican national used a contraband cellphone while serving a 30-year state sentence to broker large-scale drug deals, coordinate cash purchases of M249S and other military-style rifles, and direct straw purchasers and purchase coordinators on the outside. Fourteen…..