Armed Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 11 Years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In a significant blow to the methamphetamine trade, 37-year-old Antonio Abrego-Bega, a Mexican national, has been sentenced to 135 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for distribution of methamphetamine.

Abrego-Bega was found guilty of distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine after a thorough investigation by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).

According to court documents, between September and October 2021, law enforcement learned that Abrego-Bega was selling methamphetamine in the Charlotte area. A confidential informant (CI) working with law enforcement was introduced to Abrego-Bega, and in September 2021, the CI purchased over 50 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded firearm from the defendant.

Law enforcement arranged additional controlled purchases between the CI and Abrego-Bega, where the defendant sold the CI additional methamphetamine and firearms. On October 20, 2021, following a controlled purchase of methamphetamine with the CI, law enforcement took Abrego-Bega into custody. During the arrest, approximately 334 grams of methamphetamine and digital scales were recovered from the defendant’s possession.

On February 22, 2023, Abrego-Bega pleaded guilty to distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the federal Bureau of Prisons.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence in neighborhoods across the country. The program brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to make neighborhoods safer for everyone.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case, which highlights the collaboration between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local law enforcement agencies in tackling the methamphetamine trade.

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