Mexican national coordinated large methamphetamine trafficking ring from inside Georgia jail cell

A Mexican national has been sentenced to decades in prison for orchestrating massive drug deals while in custody at a Georgia prison, authorities say.

Ismael Guerrero-Moya, 51, was serving a 30-year sentence at Ware State Prison after his conviction on drug trafficking and firearm charges.

Prosecutors say Guerrero-Moya used a contraband cell phone to run the methamphetamine trafficking ring from his jail cell. According to information presented in court, Guerrero-Moya worked with Michael Childers, who used an auto repair shop to hide methamphetamine in vehicles, as well as Salvador Bolanos Villalpando and Jose Jovani Toledo, who operated a methamphetamine conversion lab in Ellenwood. The other three men, as well as an accused methamphetamine dealer, had all been previously sentenced in connection with the case.

In March 2020, federal investigators seized over 500 pounds of methamphetamine connected with the drug network, including 150 pounds found at an Ellenwood home, officials said.

"Guerrero-Moya's continued criminal activity from inside a state prison shows the persistent threat posed by transnational drug traffickers who exploit every opportunity to keep poisoning our communities," said Steven N. Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama. "Using a contraband phone and outside criminal associates, he directed a methamphetamine trafficking network that moved hundreds of pounds of dangerous drugs."

Guerrero-Moya pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering on Sept. 10, 2025.

On Tuesday, a judge sentenced Guerrero-Moya to 30 years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.