Eight Sentenced in Iowa Meth Ring That Flooded North with Ice

More than 250 pounds of ice methamphetamine—pure, crystalized death—poured into Northern Iowa for years, peddled by a sprawling drug ring now dismantled and sentenced. Eight traffickers, from Iowa and California, were hit with federal prison terms ranging from 59 to 132 months this week after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, marking the end of a multi-agency takedown rooted in greed and addiction.

Donita Urban, 47, of Evansdale, Iowa, was sentenced to 98 months. Scott Mathews, 52, from Marshalltown, received 70 months. Brian Swartz, 49, of Waterloo, got 132 months—the harshest sentence of the group. Rogelio Avalos-Sanchez, 23, also from Marshalltown, was handed 59 months. Jennifer Mares-Flores, 21, another Marshalltown resident, received 78 months, as did Miguel Mendoza, 26, from Hampton, Iowa. Alvaro Hernandez, 31, of Marshalltown, was sentenced to 113 months. Frances Gasca, 26, from Lompoc, California, received 103 months.

The operation began in Spring 2013 when ringleader Mario Murillo Mora built a trafficking network that funneled ice meth from Mexico and California into Iowa, hiding it in vehicles. The drugs flooded Marshalltown, where they were broken down, repackaged, and pushed through a network of street-level dealers. The ring moved pound after pound, amassing a staggering 250 pounds of the highly addictive stimulant across years of unchecked distribution.

Mora recruited lieutenants and couriers—including several of those sentenced this week—to transport, stash, and sell the meth. Others bought bulk quantities to resell on the streets, while some were tasked with collecting cash and wiring drug profits back to suppliers. The organization operated like a criminal enterprise, with precision, hierarchy, and violence lurking just beneath the surface.

All eight defendants were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade. Each was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment and will serve between three to five years of supervised release after their prison terms. There is no parole in the federal system—what the court gives is what they’ll serve.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The investigation involved the DEA and a web of local forces: the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Rapids and Marion police, Iowa City PD, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Mid-Iowa Task Force, and Tri-County Drug Task Force. Court records are available at the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system.

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