MONROE, Ga. — A major methamphetamine ring operating between Mexico and Georgia has been dismantled, with a dozen suspects pleading guilty to federal charges as part of “Operation Take Back America.”
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According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the methamphetamine was smuggled into the United States hidden in boxes of jalapeños from Mexico. The meth was converted and distributed from a site in Monroe. The FBI discovered that kilos of the drug were being distributed from a car maintenance shop in Athens.
“This Operation Take Back America case amplifies the kind of major law enforcement efforts occurring across the Middle District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes.
The investigation began when the FBI in Athens received information in January 2024 about methamphetamine sales from Rapid Lube in Athens. James Len Ramey, who worked there, was identified as a key figure in the distribution network.
Investigators said a meth lab on Mountain Creek Church Road in Monroe supplied Ramey. The FBI used surveillance and informants to track the distribution network, leading to multiple arrests and more than six kilograms of pure methamphetamine seized.
On June 30, 2024, FBI Task Force Agents spotted Ramey and Kendell Cawthon loading boxes into a truck at Rapid Lube, which were later found to contain 20 kilograms of pure methamphetamine during a traffic stop by the Georgia State Patrol. Ramey was subsequently arrested on July 3, 2024, and admitted to receiving multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from a supplier he met while serving a prison sentence in Georgia.
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Cawthon was identified by the FBI as Ramey’s courier, responsible for retrieving methamphetamine from unidentified individuals in metro Atlanta and delivering it to Ramey at Rapid Lube. Employees at Rapid Lube later discovered six kilograms of suspected methamphetamine hidden in oil filter boxes within the garage.
In August 2024, a federal search warrant was executed at the Mountain Creek House, where agents observed a Chevrolet Traverse transporting drugs. A suspected drug transaction was witnessed in a Home Depot parking lot involving the Traverse and a Chevrolet Camaro with an Alabama license plate. Walton County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped the Camaro, leading to the discovery of four kilograms of pure methamphetamine inside, authorities said.
Following the arrest of Ebony Jones-Tate and Jared Kenyatta Calhoun, agents stopped a Chevrolet Traverse leaving the Mountain Creek House, discovering 983.3 grams of pure methamphetamine and $4,350 in cash inside the car. Garcia, Yuritzi Gomez, Yirla Gomez, and Gomez Flores were arrested.
Agents executed a search warrant on the Mountain Creek House, uncovering an active methamphetamine conversion laboratory. Inside, they found over four kilograms of finished crystal methamphetamine, while the majority of the methamphetamine was in liquid form, awaiting conversion.
The FBI said cell phones belonging to the occupants of the Traverse were seized and searched, revealing that drugs were sent to the Mountain Creek House from Mexico, concealed in truckloads of boxes of jalapeños. This was corroborated by the discovery of hundreds of pounds of rotting jalapeños and discarded boxes in the backyard.
A drug ledger found inside the residence detailed that from February 28, 2024, to August 8, 2024, 1,546.5 kilograms of methamphetamine had been converted at the Mountain Creek House. Additionally, it was recorded that approximately 3,200 kilograms of methamphetamine from four different shipments arrived from Mexico, hidden in jalapeño boxes, according to the FBI.
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The following have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on Jan. 12, 2026:
James Len Ramey, 53, of Comer, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Oct. 14, and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Kendell Cawthon, 60, of Baldwin, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Bonterris Turner, 45, of Athens, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Demetrius Appling, 38, of Crawford, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Yirla Adame Gomez, 25, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Rafael Gomez Flores, 22, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Andrea Robinson, 42, of Cleveland, Ga., pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The following co-conspirators have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on Feb. 11, 2026:
Yuretzi Adame Gomez, 40, of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a $10 million fine.
The following co-conspirators pleaded guilty and have been sentenced:
Christopher Hyatt, 46, of LaGrange, was sentenced to serve 292 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Aug. 5, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 1.
Uriel Garcia, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced to serve 240 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Aug. 5, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine on May 2.
Jared Kenyatta Calhoun, 33, of Birmingham, Ala., was sentenced to serve 210 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 8.
Ebony Jones-Tate, 33, of Birmingham, Alabama, was sentenced to 90 days of home confinement and three years of supervised release after she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 8.
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