ATLANTA - A drug lieutenant who spent more than a decade hiding from federal authorities was sentenced to nearly 19 years in federal prison for his role in running massive cocaine and cash smuggling operations for Mexican cartels in Atlanta and other U.S. cities.
What we know:
Roberto Lopez, 46, was ordered to serve 18 years and 10 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for managing major distribution networks for the Sinaloa and Beltran-Leyva Cartels.
Lopez served as the primary lieutenant for a drug distribution network operated by Edgar Valdez-Villareal, known as "La Barbie," and U.S.-based businessman Carlos Montemayor.
The network shipped up to 300 kilograms of cocaine weekly to Atlanta, Memphis and other cities while smuggling millions of dollars in drug money back across the border.
In a six-month window alone, the ring distributed 1,500 kilograms of cocaine in Atlanta.
The operation also smuggled over 1,000 rifles, up to 200 converted machineguns, silencers, body armor and night vision gear into Mexico.
Federal law enforcement intercepted Lopez on wiretaps as he arranged payments for truck drivers and stash house operators.
When federal indictments disrupted the cartel network in December 2009, Lopez ran to Mexico to avoid prosecution.
Mexican authorities captured Lopez in Mexico City in June 2024 and expelled him to the U.S. in August 2025.
Lopez pled guilty on May 19 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Valdez was sentenced in an Atlanta federal court to 49 years and one month in prison in 2018.
Montemayor received a sentence of 34 years and three months in prison in 2019.
Both cartel leaders were also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following their prison terms.
Lopez's sentence marks the latest prosecution tied to the multi-agency Homeland Security Task Force initiative.
What we don't know:
Officials have not publicly disclosed the exact location where Lopez will serve his federal prison term.
Court records also do not list specific details regarding any asset forfeitures tied directly to Lopez's final sentence.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Connolly of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, who detailed the investigation and sentencing in official press statements.