A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced on September 23, 2022, in federal court in Sioux City.
Zackary Smith 35, from Pierson, Iowa, pled guilty on April 8, 2022, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, the evidence showed that from August 2018 through April 18, 2019, Smith and others conspired to distribute more than 11 pounds of methamphetamine in the Cherokee County area. In April 2019, law enforcement executed a search of a rural Cherokee County residence and seized about 1.5 pounds of pure methamphetamine at locations throughout the property. Also, at the time of the search, Smith was found flushing about 10 ounces of methamphetamine down a toilet before officers could seize it. Smith further admitted to traveling with other co-conspirators to Omaha, Nebraska to obtain pounds of methamphetamine to distribute in Northwest Iowa.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Smith was sentenced to 140 months’ imprisonment and must serve a five-year of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Smith remains in the custody of the United States Marshal Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde 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 as well as the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa State Patrol.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 21-4048.
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