CEMENTER RAPIDS, IA – Cleveland “Schmitty” Stephens, a 63-year-old Cedar Rapids native, faced the federal bench today after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The Iowa native’s dark day in court marked the culmination of an investigation that spanned nearly two years.
In what authorities describe as a significant blow to drug trafficking in the region, Stephens admitted to his role in distributing at least 500 grams of meth and 50 grams of pure meth between August 2022 and June 2024. The federal court in Cedar Rapids heard the plea from the defendant, who now awaits sentencing.
The sentence before Chief Judge C.J. Williams could range from a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life imprisonment without parole. A hefty fine of $250,000 and a lifetime of supervised release loom as potential penalties. Stephens remains in federal custody pending his final hearing.
Prosecutors Devra T. Hake and Dillan Edwards led the case, while the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, and local sheriff’s offices investigated. This operation is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), a multi-agency approach to dismantling top criminal organizations.
For more information on the OCDETF Program, visit https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf. Court file details are available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, under case number 24-CR-92. Follow the latest on federal crimes in Iowa at @USAO_NDIA.
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Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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