A man accused of selling fentanyl-laced pills from a farmers market produce stand in metro Atlanta appeared in federal court Tuesday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Federal prosecutors say Luis Sanchez-Acevedo, 41, an undocumented Mexican national living in the U.S., is charged with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl after investigators linked him to thousands of deadly counterfeit pills sold in Forest Park, Georgia.

According to court documents, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration learned Sanchez-Acevedo was allegedly selling fake "M-30" pills that contained fentanyl and xylazine, a powerful animal tranquilizer also known on the street as "tranq."

Authorities say Sanchez-Acevedo sold about 3,000 pills in September and October 2025 from or near his produce stand at a Forest Park farmers market. Laboratory testing later confirmed the pills contained both fentanyl and xylazine, a combination that significantly increases the risk of fatal overdoses.

"Sanchez-Acevedo allegedly distributed deadly 'tranq' pills containing fentanyl and xylazine at a farmers market where he sold fruits and vegetables," U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. "Our community is a safer place now that this illegal alien and his lethal pills are off the streets."

DEA agents arrested Sanchez-Acevedo on Jan. 13 at his produce stand. During a search, agents recovered about 1,000 additional counterfeit pills, prosecutors said.

"This defendant is accused of distributing fentanyl, a drug responsible for countless overdose poisonings across our country," said Jae W. Chung, special agent in charge of the DEA's Atlanta Division. He said the arrest supports the agency's national effort to remove fentanyl from communities.

Federal authorities say Sanchez-Acevedo is from Tehuacán, Mexico, and does not have legal status in the United States.

He appeared before a U.S. magistrate judge on a criminal complaint charging him with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The case is being investigated by the DEA with assistance from the Clayton County Police Department. 

Officials said the investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice effort aimed at dismantling drug trafficking organizations, combating illegal immigration, and reducing violent crime.