MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Over the last year, 22 people have been sent to federal prison for being part of a meth and money laundering scheme.
According to a statement from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office, the group of people involved “agreed with each other to distribute methamphetamine,” and it all started as early as the summer of 2013.
The group was found to be responsible for selling hundreds of pounds of ice methamphetamine across northern Iowa, according to the district attorney’s statement. The people involved in the conspiracy, who are mostly from Dubuque, Waterloo and Marshalltown, sent the money from meth sales to Mexico, either by wire transfer or by vehicle.
The whole conspiracy came to a head on May 9, 2016 when investigators executed nearly 30 search warrants in Iowa and Wisconsin, finding six pounds of meth, 14 firearms, and more than $250,000 the statement said. That meth had a street value of about $272,880.
The 22 people involved were sentenced to prison terms of varying lengths; as short as two years and as long as 30 years. All were convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; additionally, five were also convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
