James Douglas Morrison, Methamphetamine Distribution, Iowa 2024

Grimy Times

Methamphetamine Distribution Ring Busted in Waterloo, Iowa

James Douglas Morrison, a 40-year-old man from Waterloo, Iowa, has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution ring. Morrison received the harsh sentence after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon on February 22, 2024.

According to court documents, Morrison sold methamphetamine to an undercover agent in 2022. He also directed others, including co-defendant Heather Sue Hartzell, to sell ‘ice’ methamphetamine on his behalf. In approximately one month, law enforcement officers stopped Morrison while he was driving back from Des Moines with Hartzell. Inside the car, officers found almost 2,000 grams of ‘ice’ methamphetamine that Morrison had obtained from his supplier in Des Moines. Morrison was also found to be in possession of a gun.

Morrison was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. He received 306 months’ imprisonment, which is equivalent to 25 years. Morrison must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Morrison is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, and the Waterloo Police Department.

The case file number is 23-CR-2045. Readers can access court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

Grimy Times will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

This article was written by a Grimy Times journalist and is based on information from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.

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