James Allen, Marijuana Trafficking, Iowa 2014

A massive marijuana trafficking operation has been dismantled in Eastern Iowa, with four key figures receiving significant sentences for their roles in the conspiracy.

The investigation, led by the DEA, involved extensive wiretaps on multiple cellular phones and resulted in the arrest of a dozen individuals, including four who were recently sentenced by Chief Judge Linda R. Reade in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

James Allen, 53, of Belton, Missouri, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment followed by three months' home detention for his role in the conspiracy. Allen, who pled guilty on August 18, 2014, will report to the Bureau of Prisons on a later date.

Allen's co-conspirators, Matthew Fritz, 39, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced to five years' probation and fined $3,000. Cory Kintzel, 39, of Vinton, Iowa, received a 12-month prison sentence. Mark Swanson, 55, the pilot who flew the marijuana from Colorado to Iowa, was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment and fined $10,000, with an additional $35,000 money judgment.

The organization, which operated from November 2011 to April 2013, moved large quantities of high-grade marijuana from Colorado and California to the Cedar Rapids area. Swanson, who grew most of the marijuana at his home, flew a load containing 25 pounds of marijuana from Colorado into the Iowa City airport in March 2013. Swanson admitted to making at least $35,000 from growing and selling the marijuana.

The four individuals were among a group of about a dozen persons federally charged for their involvement in the marijuana trafficking organization. In addition to their sentences and fines, all four were ordered to pay special assessments of $100.

The investigation and subsequent sentencing are a significant blow to the marijuana trafficking organization, which had been operating in the Eastern Iowa area. The sentences handed down by Chief Judge Reade are a testament to the severity of the crimes committed by these individuals.

Defendant Information:

• Defendant: James Allen
• City and State: Belton, MO
• Exact Date: August 18, 2014 (plea)
• Sentence: Six months' imprisonment followed by three months' home detention
• Dollar Amount: $0 (fine)

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/four-marijuana-dealers-including-colorado-pilot-sentenced-after-extensive-wiretap