Cory Mackey, Methamphetamine Operation, IA 2021

IDA GROVE, IA – Cory Mackey, 34, of Ida Grove, Iowa, is headed to federal prison for over twelve years after admitting to running a significant methamphetamine operation in Ida County. Mackey was sentenced on November 22, 2021, following a federal court hearing in Sioux City.

The feds came down hard on Mackey after a lengthy investigation revealed he conspired to distribute more than 5 kilograms of methamphetamine between February 2019 and July 2020. The operation wasn’t exactly subtle. Law enforcement first raided Mackey’s home on January 16, 2020, turning up methamphetamine and the tools of the trade – drug paraphernalia. But that wasn’t enough to shut him down.

The real bust came in July 2020. Deputies discovered Mackey riding dirty in a vehicle parked in the wrong lane on a rural road near Holstein, Iowa. A search of the vehicle wasn’t a pretty sight for Mackey: approximately 2.75 pounds of *pure* methamphetamine and over $18,000 in cash were seized. It was a clear sign of a lucrative, and now defunct, drug pipeline.

Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down the 145-month sentence, a substantial penalty for the conspiracy charge. Mackey isn’t getting a slap on the wrist; he’ll also be under a 5-year term of supervised release after he finishes serving his time. He’s currently in the custody of the United States Marshal, awaiting transport to a federal prison facility.

Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood led the prosecution, with critical support from the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the DCI Laboratory, and the Ida County Sheriff’s Office. This case highlights the collaborative effort needed to dismantle these types of drug operations and get dangerous criminals off the streets.

For those seeking further details, court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 21-4004. You can also follow the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter at @USAO_NDIA.