Atlanta Drug Lord who Smuggled 2000 kg of Cocaine to US Sentenced to Life in Prison

A drug trafficking operation leader in Atlanta has been sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in pushing significant quantities of cocaine from Mexico to the U.S.
In January, Albert “Big” Ross, 53, admitted his guilt in a case involving drug distribution.
Ross was taken into custody on September 23, 2021, at his residence in Stone Mountain. During their search of the property, DEA Atlanta special agents discovered over $300,000 in cash meticulously concealed in tinfoil and vacuum-sealed within black trash bags in his bedroom closet. Agents seized over $600,000 at a bar owned by Ross in Atlanta, alleging that the money was drug proceeds.
Authorities have reported the confiscation of over $3.1 million in cash, 73 firearms, and significant quantities of various illicit substances including cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, crystal methamphetamine, and marijuana.
Atlanta officials have long been monitoring Ross’ activities and have uncovered a criminal operation that he admitted to leading. This operation was responsible for smuggling around 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and other drugs from Mexico into the United States.
Through the use of various investigative techniques such as wiretaps, physical surveillance, vehicle trackers, and informants, authorities have uncovered a significant network linked to Ross’s organization. This network was found to be involved in the transportation of drugs across Texas, originating from a source in Mexico connected to the Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
During a three-month period in 2018, investigators discovered that Ross had made payments totaling over $2.5 million and had received a substantial amount of cocaine, weighing 1,300 kilograms, from another supplier. Afterward, the drugs were hidden at the residence of an older relative who had experienced a gunshot wound in the past while collecting money from drug sales on behalf of Ross.
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According to investigators, Lonnie Bennett, 44, and Brandon Payne, 30, were allegedly involved in the sale of cocaine from a residence on Pittman Road in College Park. Another individual, known as TaMichael Darden, would regularly visit the Pittman Road stash house to purchase cocaine for distribution in the Middle District of Georgia.
There have been other drug seizures linked to the Stone Mountain man, in addition to the one that resulted in Ross’s arrest.
In March 2018, Ross and a business partner made a purchase of approximately $4 million worth of cocaine. The illicit substance was found by a Georgia state trooper concealed behind a false wall in a tractor-trailer truck on Interstate 20 as reported by Fox5Atlanta.
Following the discovery of the drugs, authorities claim that Ross allegedly sought assistance from someone else to eliminate the individual in charge of supervising the confiscated drug shipment.
DEA Atlanta officials became suspicious of Ross and his associates’ use of a private aircraft at the Peachtree DeKalb Airport to transport drugs from Georgia to California. In December 2018, they collaborated with local authorities and the FBI to confiscate over $2 million in drug proceeds found in Ross’s luggage.
A federal judge handed down a severe punishment on Monday, sentencing Ross to two life sentences in prison, the maximum allowed by law. Parole is not granted in federal prisons.
In addition to the life sentences, the judge has also mandated that Ross serve five years of supervised release and pay a hefty $1 million fine.