⏱ 3 min read
Floyd Coates and Dennis Lawson, two men with lengthy criminal histories, played roles in the disappearance and death of 18-year-old Nebraska woman Sunny Sramek in 2019. Coates, a meth kingpin, had arranged a drug resupply run to Kansas City, Missouri, and convinced Sramek to join him. They left Trenton, Nebraska, in a white Ford Explorer, but when Coates’ driver arrived to take him to Kansas City, Sramek’s motionless body was found in the vehicle.
Coates, 48, and Lawson, 60, were sentenced to a combined 45 years in federal prison for their roles in Sramek’s death and related meth trafficking charges. Coates was convicted of six counts, including drug trafficking, unlawful possession of firearms, and obstruction of justice, while Lawson was convicted of one obstruction-of-justice charge for threatening a witness.
Evidence at trial showed that Coates was a member of a drug-trafficking organization that funneled pounds of methamphetamine from Colorado to multiple locations, including Iowa. Coates possessed firearms to protect his illegal drug operation, and his actions ultimately led to Sramek’s death.
The sentencing brings closure to Sramek’s family and highlights the dangers of meth trafficking in the Midwest. The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA, and other law enforcement agencies, and serves as a reminder of the devastating consequences of drug trafficking and violence.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: Iowa
- Location: IA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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