A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in distributing methamphetamine. James Vincent Thornton, 53, was found guilty in October 2024 of possessing methamphetamine with intent to deliver a controlled substance.
Thornton was sentenced on February 24, 2025, in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Thornton was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine, according to evidence presented at the plea and sentencing hearings. In November 2021, law enforcement officers searched a residence where Thornton was staying and found approximately 224.17 grams of ice methamphetamine in his room.
In March and April 2022, law enforcement officers used a confidential informant to buy methamphetamine from Thornton twice. In May 2022, law enforcement officers searched another residence associated with Thornton and located approximately 71.31 grams of ice methamphetamine.
Thornton 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 Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force.
The DEA Task Force consists of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff’s Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Thornton’s case is a significant blow to the methamphetamine trade in the Cedar Rapids area. The DEA Task Force and other law enforcement agencies will continue to work together to disrupt and dismantle organized crime groups that threaten the community.
Related Federal Cases
- Ramon Cisneros Aguilera, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2016 · Indiana
- Rodney Lee Koehrsen, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2017 · Iowa
- Juan Beteme Amezquita, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2017 · Tennessee
- Gregory Louis Baxter Jr., Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Iowa 2018 · Iowa
- Cameron James Lensmeyer, Carfentanil Possession, Iowa 2018 · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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