Beloit Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Drug Trafficking (DOJ)

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Gabriel Lebron Mejia, 27, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 10 years in federal prison for possessing 100 grams or more of heroin intended for distribution and maintaining a drug trafficking premises. Lebron Mejia pleaded guilty to these charges on March 13, 2026.

Between January and August 2025, law enforcement conducted controlled purchases of heroin and fentanyl from Lebron Mejia. During his subsequent arrest on August 28, 2025, officers searched Lebron Mejia's vehicle and found a hidden compartment behind the vehicle's glove box. Inside, officers recovered 115 grams of a mixture containing heroin and fentanyl and 60 grams of cocaine. Officers also searched Lebron Mejia's apartment and recovered 100 grams of fentanyl pills, a hydraulic pill press, a gas mask, cutting agents, and other tools and drug packaging material. Police also found a 9mm handgun, ammunition, and over $21,000 in cash.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson determined that Lebron Mejia was a high-level drug trafficker. Judge Peterson also noted that the chemical makeup of the fentanyl that Lebron Mejia distributed raised a public safety concern about whether conventional overdose reversing treatments would be effective.

Rock County District Attorney Jason Sanders joined U.S. Attorney Elgersma in praising the federal, state, and local law enforcement officers who worked together to bring Lebron Mejia to justice. "I am grateful for the collaboration between Rock County and the U.S. Attorney's Office in this case," said District Attorney Sanders. "I am proud that we were able to work together to secure a significant sentence against a large-scale drug trafficker."

The charges against Lebron Mejia were the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force, the Rock County Sheriff's Office, and the City of Beloit Police Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force is comprised of federal agents with ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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