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Council Bluffs Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Methamphetamine Distribution
Council Bluffs, IA – In a shocking turn of events, Jason Paul Rodriguez, a/k/a “Chico,” age 40, of Council Bluffs, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.
The prison terms for each conviction will be served concurrently. Rodriguez will serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term. The harsh sentence comes after a lengthy investigation into Rodriguez’s large-scale drug trafficking operation, which spanned from 2016 until his arrest in April 2019.
Rodriguez’s operation involved dozens of co-conspirators and distributed over 220 pounds of methamphetamine. Co-defendants Lacey Jo Smalley and Erik M. Barber have pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date.
The investigation into Rodriguez’s operation was a collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, South West Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Council Bluffs Police Department, Clarinda Police Department, Audubon Police Department, Omaha Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Page County Sheriff’s Office, Audubon County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Intelligence, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Rodriguez was arrested on April 30, 2019, following a traffic stop. A drug dog alerted law enforcement to the presence of approximately eleven pounds of methamphetamine in the vehicle. $14,933.55 in cash was also seized.
The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. The harsh sentence sends a clear message that those involved in large-scale drug trafficking operations will face severe consequences.
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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