ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A man from Mexico has been convicted of drug trafficking and other charges after officials say he led a massive cocaine operation in metro Atlanta.

Adan Macedo-Rios, 52, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to commit robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and conspiracy to commit money laundering on Wednesday.

He faces up to life in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said.

Investigators say Macedo-Rios was a “large-scale” drug trafficker who supplied other metro Atlanta distributors with at least 123 kilograms, or 271 pounds, of cocaine. He used proceeds to buy an 8-acre horse ranch, including a 24-horse stable and farmhouse, in Loganville.

In 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) intercepted cellphone communications between Macedo-Rios and others. The group was planning to steal 143 pounds of cocaine from another supplier, the attorney’s office said.

The criminals placed a tracker on the target’s car and plotted to use guns in the robbery before DEA investigators intervened.

Macedo-Rios was arrested at his ranch, where law enforcement also found a pistol and a semi-automatic handgun in his bedroom.

“Thanks to the hard work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we’ve turned his ‘stable’ of crime into a one-way ticket to accountability!” said Steven N. Schrank, the special agent in charge of homeland security investigations in Georgia and Alabama

Macedo-Rios has been deported from the United States multiple times, the attorney’s office said. He faces sentencing on Aug. 26.

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