SIOUX CITY, IA – Jose Acosta Abadia, Jr., a 41-year-old from Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegal firearm possession.
Abadia pleaded guilty on April 28 to the charges. He has prior convictions for Third Degree Burglary, Possession of a Controlled Substance, and three counts of Assault While Using or Displaying a Dangerous Weapon, involving a machete and knife. These previous convictions disqualify him from legally owning a firearm in Iowa.
Evidence presented during the plea and sentencing hearings established that from February to June 2022, Abadia and associates conspired to distribute over seven pounds of methamphetamine. During this period, Abadia sold methamphetamine to a person collaborating with law enforcement on three separate occasions. These transactions, which took place in Fort Dodge, totaled more than 400 grams of methamphetamine. A search of Abadia at the time of his arrest yielded a half-pound of methamphetamine and a stolen semi-automatic handgun.