Feds: Network of Iowa meth traffickers dismantled

Posted on Nov 05, 2009 by John McGlothlen.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Federal prosecutors are touting what they claim is the dismantling of a network of crystal methamphetamine traffickers in northwest Iowa.

According to US. Attorney Matt Dummermuth, 21 defendants have been convicted and sentenced to federal prison or probation as a result of an investigation that began in February 2007. Authorities say the investigation involved a variety of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Dummermuth said in a statement Thursday, the coordinated investigation had a significant impact on the meth trafficking problem in northwest Iowa.

Authorities say the center of the meth network were Storm Lake, Spencer and Dow City. They say distributors received the drug from a Mexican source in Omaha, Nebraska.

As part of the investigation, authorities seized over six pounds of crystal meth, $250,000 in cash and several vehicles.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

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Here is the complete news release from the Unites States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa:

23 ARRESTS WIPE OUT NORTHWEST IOWA METH RING
Large Methamphetamine Trafficking Network With Ties to Mexico Dismantled

United States Attorney Matt M. Dummermuth announced the dismantling of a large network of crystal methamphetamine traffickers who primarily resided in northwest Iowa. Twenty-one defendants have been convicted and sentenced to terms ranging from over 21 years in federal prison to probation with the Iowa Department of Corrections. Seven of these defendants were in the United States illegally and will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation after serving their prison terms. Two other subjects were deported but not prosecuted.

In February of 2007, law enforcement officers from the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Storm Lake Police Department, the Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force agencies including the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Spencer Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, began an investigation that spanned two and one-half years.

During the course of the investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration sponsored the investigation with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program of the United States Department of Justice.

“This imported meth case involving gangs, guns, drugs, and illegal aliens typifies the drug trafficking prosecutions being worked every day by our office with law enforcement at all levels across Iowa,” said Dummermuth. “A coordinated investigation spearheaded by local officers and state agents and assisted by federal authorities put a significant meth ring out of commission and made a real impact on the meth trafficking problem in northwest Iowa.”

At the center of this network were methamphetamine distributors residing in Storm Lake, Spencer, and Dow City, Iowa. These distributors received methamphetamine from a Mexican source in Omaha, Nebraska, and were responsible for the majority of the methamphetamine being sold on the streets in the Spencer, Iowa, Great Lakes, and Storm Lake areas.

As part of the investigation, officers seized over six pounds of crystal methamphetamine that had a street value of over $275,000. They also seized over $25,000 in cash, five vehicles valued at over $39,000, and four firearms.

The following sentences were imposed in United States District Court:

Moises Gonzalez, age 29, of Storm Lake – 260 months’ imprisonment
Amie Aguirre, age 24, of Storm Lake – 126 months’ imprisonment
Jose Rodriguez-Ballina, age 23, of Omaha – 84 months’ imprisonment
Wesley Burrow, age 25, of Spencer – 180 months’ imprisonment
Orlando Escobar-Quintanilla, age 28, of Spencer – 168 months’ imprisonment
Joel Aguirre, age 29, of Storm Lake – 235 months’ imprisonment
Eric Sandoval, age 28 of Storm Lake – 120 months’ imprisonment
Leandro Cervantes-Murillo, age 21, of Spencer – 79 months’ imprisonment
Elio Marin-Torres, age 30, of Spencer – 120 months’ imprisonment
Eder Noe Sosa-Jimenez, age 26, of Spencer – 180 months’ imprisonment
Robby Krueger, age 43, of Dow City – 168 months’ imprisonment
Joseph Volberding, age 37, of Saint Cloud, Minn. – 151 months’ imprisonment
Rolando Maza-Quiroz, age 39, of Spencer – 129 months’ imprisonment
Todd Fundermann, age 27, of Cleghorn – 39 months’ imprisonment

Seven additional defendants were sentenced in the District Courts for Dickinson, Clay, and Buena Vista Counties. Two other subjects were not prosecuted but were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials for deportation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Storm Lake Police Department, and the Spencer Police Department. Agencies assisting in the investigation included: the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement;   the Spirit Lake Police Department; the Jackson, Minnesota, Police Department; the Jackson County Minnesota Sheriff’s Office; the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office; the O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office; the Clay, Dickinson, and Buena Vista County Attorney’s Offices; and the 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; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; 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.