Ernesto Soto, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2021

A 31-year-old man from Hawarden, Iowa, was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Ernesto Soto, a resident of Hawarden, Iowa, was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on August 13, 2020.

On February 5, 2020, Woodbury County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle Soto was traveling in. Upon conducting a probable cause search within the vehicle, law enforcement discovered approximately 32 grams of methamphetamine, 1.6 grams of cocaine, baggies, and a glass smoking device with residue located in a black bag that belonged to Soto.

The methamphetamine and cocaine were concealed in a can with a false bottom. At least 5 grams of the approximately 32 grams was pure methamphetamine. Soto had previously been convicted of intent to manufacture/deliver methamphetamine under 5 grams in the Iowa District Court for Sioux County in 2014.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Soto was sentenced to 50 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a term of 3 years of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Soto remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by 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, Iowa, 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; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

The case file number is 20-4033. For more information on this case, visit the court’s website at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. Follow the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

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