Armed career criminal Melvin Cloud, Jr., 44, of Sioux City, Iowa, is headed to federal prison after distributing methamphetamine while stockpiling firearms in plain sight of the law. On November 18, 2021, Cloud was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City to 141 months behind bars — more than 11 years — for dealing meth and illegally possessing multiple guns.
Cloud pleaded guilty on June 17, 2021, to one count of distribution of methamphetamine and one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. With three prior drug trafficking convictions, he qualified under the federal armed career criminal statute, triggering a mandatory minimum sentence and sealing his fate with a lengthy prison term.
Court evidence revealed that between January and October 2020, Cloud distributed more than 82 grams of methamphetamine in four separate transactions across Sioux City. Each sale fed addiction, fueled violence, and destabilized neighborhoods already grappling with the opioid and meth crisis sweeping through the Midwest.
The reckoning came on February 25, 2021, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cloud’s residence. Inside, they seized four firearms: a 12-gauge shotgun, a .357 revolver, a .45 caliber ACP pistol, and a stolen .40 caliber handgun. As a convicted felon and known drug user, Cloud was legally barred from possessing any firearm — let alone an arsenal.
Sentencing was handed down by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand, who imposed the 141-month sentence and mandated a 4-year term of supervised release following incarceration. Cloud remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, awaiting transfer to a federal correctional facility.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force — a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies including the DEA, Sioux City Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, and multiple state and regional law enforcement entities. Court records are available under case file 21-4018 at the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa’s electronic filing system.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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