BUSTED: Arturo Flores, a 23-year-old from Eagle Pass, Texas, has pleaded guilty to possessing over 4 pounds of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in Iowa. The crime, which took place on June 16, 2021 in Sioux City, Iowa, involved a traffic stop where law enforcement found the illicit substance wrapped in duct tape inside a drink cooler in the vehicle.
According to court documents, Flores had no identification on him, but had a female passenger, her baby, and an 11-year-old in the car with him at the time of the stop. A K-9 unit alerted on the vehicle, leading to the discovery of the methamphetamine.
The evidence showed that Flores had acquired the methamphetamine in South Texas and was bringing it to Iowa for further distribution. He admitted to this in court, stating that he had obtained the substance with the intention of selling it.
Flores faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, as well as a $10,000,000 fine and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force, a multi-agency task force consisting of law enforcement personnel from various agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department.
Flores remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. The sentencing hearing will be set after a presentence report is prepared.
According to the court file information, the case number is 21-4061 and can be accessed at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The public can follow the US Attorney’s office on Twitter at @USAO_NDIA.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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