Scott Pride, 69, from Tucson, AZ, plead guilty May 5, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 16, 2022, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop, based on a speeding violation, of a 2011 Silver Lexus IS registered to and operated by Pride. After suspecting possible drug trafficking, a police K-9 was deployed and alerted to the odor of a controlled substance within the vehicle. Officers conducted a search of the vehicle and located five heat-sealed, brick-type packages containing over 5 kilograms of cocaine.
Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Pride remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Pride faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and at least four years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 22-4006. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.