A man who was found in possession of 370 methamphetamine tablets, almost 200 grams of cocaine, and marijuana, was sentenced yesterday to more than 15 years in federal prison.
Brian Hale, age 35, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after pleading guilty in July 2021 to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
In a plea agreement, Hale admitted that he possessed 151 grams of marijuana, 370 tablets containing 134 grams of methamphetamine, 195 grams of cocaine, and $5,262 in cash. The drugs and cash were found during a traffic stop of the car Hale was driving through Dubuque County. During the traffic stop, a drug dog alerted to the odor of drugs coming from the car. Hale had attempted to disguise the smell of drugs by sprinkling chili powder over the packages containing the drugs. Law enforcement then searched the car and found the drugs and money. Hale further admitted that he had agreed to distribute at least some of the methamphetamine to other people and that the cash was either proceeds from drug sales or was intended to be used to further drug-trafficking activities.
Hale has prior convictions for drug offenses. Hale had previously been convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, manufacturing/delivering cocaine, and possession with intent to deliver heroin.
Hale was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Hale was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 4-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Hale is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Devra Hake and Alex Geocaris and was investigated by the Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office and the Dubuque Drug Task Force.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 20-CR-01036.
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