A grim milestone in the battle against drug trafficking was reached on August 5, 2025, when Ashley Crystal Wachs, a 36-year-old resident of Coralville, Iowa, received a seven-year sentence for her role in transporting and distributing fentanyl pills.
Wachs pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances on February 19, 2025. The plea agreement revealed her involvement in moving thousands of fentanyl pills from Seattle, Washington, into Coralville and surrounding areas.
The evidence against Wachs was chilling. On September 4, 2024, Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Drug Task Force officers stopped her vehicle during a traffic stop, uncovering over 250 grams of fentanyl, 109.58 grams of flurofentanyl, and 71.96 grams of ice methamphetamine.
In court documents, Wachs admitted her intent to distribute the majority of the seized substances. She was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids to 72 months’ imprisonment, followed by a three-year term of supervised release. The federal system does not offer parole.
Wachs is currently in custody awaiting transport to a federal prison. The investigation and prosecution were handled by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach, with the Johnson County Drug Task Force and Iowa State Patrol leading the investigation.
The case file number is 24-CR-98, and more information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Follow @USAO_NDIA for updates on federal crime news.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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