ATLANTA, GA – Friday — A 25-year-old Mexican national with no legal status in the U.S. was arrested after federal agents discovered over 12 pounds of fentanyl and two firearms, including an AR-15 rifle, stashed in a suburban Atlanta home — part of an alleged drug operation that prosecutors say moved hundreds of thousands in illegal proceeds.
Alexis Carreon Bocanegra was taken into custody on August 25 following a Drug Enforcement Administration surveillance operation and home search that uncovered 5.5 kilograms of fentanyl hidden inside a diaper box and weapons concealed under a bed. Federal prosecutors say Bocanegra used his Stone Mountain residence as a base to traffic narcotics and stockpile cash, and was armed illegally to protect his fentanyl supply.
In court filings, prosecutors allege Bocanegra distributed at least one kilogram of fentanyl in March, and during a two-month surveillance period earlier this year, agents observed him handling what they believed to be roughly $400,000 in drug money. Investigators later confirmed the presence of two firearms, one of them an AR-15-style rifle, and large amounts of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid often lethal in minute quantities.
Bocanegra was formally charged Wednesday with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and illegal firearm possession by an undocumented immigrant. A federal judge ordered him held without bail Thursday.
Federal agents say they seized the fentanyl inside a Huggies diaper box placed in a shed on the property. The two firearms were found hidden beneath a bed inside the home. Officials say the combination of fentanyl and firearms dramatically escalated the threat to public safety.
The arrest is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a Department of Justice initiative focused on disrupting cartel-linked activity and eliminating transnational criminal threats. The program involves collaboration among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Bocanegra remains in federal custody pending trial. He has not yet entered a plea. If convicted, he could face substantial prison time and deportation following any sentence served.
