Federal agents say a Lilburn man who helped funnel cartel meth into central Georgia is finally headed to prison. Noe Canela, 37, identified by prosecutors as a key supplier to a Milledgeville-centered drug ring, was sentenced Thursday to 260 months in federal prison. The punishment takes effect immediately and will be followed by five years of supervised release, wrapping up a multi-year probe into a cartel-linked pipeline running into Baldwin County and beyond.
What prosecutors say
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Georgia, Canela pleaded guilty on Jan. 6 to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. He was the final defendant to be sentenced among 20 people charged in the investigation.
“Noe Canela is being held accountable for trafficking large quantities of dangerous drugs from a Mexican cartel into Georgia. This case proves that justice will prevail, no matter how long it takes,” U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes said in the statement.
Prosecutors described Canela as the primary source of supply for a meth distribution network based in Milledgeville, supplying the operation with multi-kilogram quantities of narcotics over time.
Seizures and evidence
FOX 5 Atlanta reports that agents executed search warrants at a Stone Mountain residence in October 2021, where they seized roughly 67 pounds of methamphetamine, one kilogram of heroin and a Polymer80 “ghost gun.”…