Bricks of fentanyl discovered during a search by federal agents in Brookhaven on February 16, 2026. (Credit: US Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia)
BROOKHAVEN, Ga. - A man who was previously deported for being in the United States illegally is now accused of trafficking 37 pounds of fentanyl from his Brookhaven apartment, federal prosecutors said.
What we know:
Drug Enforcement Administration agents executed a search at Abelardo Avila Gomez’s apartment on Feb. 16, where they found 15 bricks of fentanyl that weighed about 37 pounds.
Avila Gomez was arrested in the apartment parking lot. Prosecutors said he allegedly admitted to illegally reentering the country in March 2023 and participated in distributing fentanyl.
Investigators said that 46-year-old Avila Gomez is a native of Acapulco, Mexico, who was previously deported in November 2014. He is charged with possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal reentry by a previously removed alien.
What they're saying:
"With the seizure of 17.9 kilograms of fentanyl, our agents have removed an extraordinary amount of deadly poison from the streets," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "Fentanyl is measured in milligrams, not grams, and this quantity had the potential to cause catastrophic harm."
What we don't know:
It was not immediately clear how authorities discovered the fentanyl was at the apartment.
The Source: Information in this report comes from the United States Attorney's Office in the Northern District of Georgia.