Kingpin pleads guilty to pushing Mexican coke in Georgia

MACON, Ga. - An Atlanta Kingpin under investigation for pushing large amounts of cocaine from Mexico to the U.S. has pleaded guilty.

Albert "Big" Ross, 53, faced a judge in federal court on Monday and pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

He was arrested on Sept. 23, 2021 at his home in Stone Mountain where DEA Atlanta special agents said they found more than $300,000 in cash wrapped in tinfoil and vacuum sealed in black trash bags in his bedroom closet. At an Atlanta bar Ross owned, agents seized more than $600,000 of what they claimed were drug proceeds.

For years, Atlanta officials said they tracked Ross' movements and discovered a ring he confessed to leading brought in approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the U.S., along with other drugs.

"Albert Ross directed enormous amounts of deadly drugs into Georgia from Mexico for many years, harming our citizens and communities in exchange for a lavish lifestyle. Ross even admitted to ordering the murder of an associate tied to a drug shipment intercepted by law enforcement," said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary.

When DEA Atlanta officials grew suspicious that Ross and co-conspirators were using a private aircraft at the Peachtree DeKalb Airport to move the drugs from Georgia to California, they contacted local authorities along with the FBI to seize over $2 million in drug proceeds from his luggage in March 2018.

At the very least, Ross faces 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release and a maximum $10-million fine per count. At the most, he could be behind bars for the rest of his life.

"Albert Ross deserves every day in prison that he will ultimately receive after distributing a huge amount of drugs into Middle Georgia," said FBI Atlanta’s Macon Supervisory Senior Resident Agent Robert Gibbs. "FBI Atlanta and our partners across the state will work non-stop to put drug dealers behind bars and stop them from inflicting pain on Georgia residents."

It is not clear when Ross will be sentenced.