Akron Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Meth Conspiracy

A 42-year-old man from Akron, Iowa has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his second conviction in a methamphetamine conspiracy case.

Britt Lander, a resident of Akron, Iowa, was convicted by a jury in December 2023 of conspiring to distribute more than 50 grams of pure methamphetamine. This conviction marks the second time Lander has been convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa. His first conviction was in 2012.

The evidence presented at trial and sentencing revealed that Lander, along with others, conspired to receive at least 88 pounds of methamphetamine by mail and vehicle transport from California and Mexico to distribute in the Sioux City and Akron, Iowa areas. The evidence also showed that Lander assisted in unloading 5 to 15 pound loads of methamphetamine.

Audio and video recordings obtained by investigators showed Lander and another individual using cutting tools to remove 7 kilograms (approximately 15 pounds) of methamphetamine from inside a spare tire that was used to transport the methamphetamine from Mexico.

Lander was sentenced to 30 years’ imprisonment and must serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Lander remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa. The task force consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; 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; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

The case file number is 22-4071, and more information can be found on the court’s website at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA for updates on this case and others like it.