EDWIN DIAZ, a 34-year-old resident of Odebolt, Iowa, has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for his roles in methamphetamine possession and the illegal possession of a firearm. Diaz faced two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm after a series of events that implicated him deeply in drug trafficking and obstruction of justice.
Diaz’s conviction stems from an incident on December 31, 2022, when an Ida County Sheriff’s Deputy discovered a significant amount of meth and marijuana during a traffic stop. The evidence showed that days later, Diaz coerced the person he was with at the time into signing a false statement, claiming ownership of the drugs seized.
In addition to the methamphetamine, agents seized various drug paraphernalia and a Ruger .22 rifle, along with 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition during a subsequent search warrant at Diaz’s residence. His actions in obtaining the false letter were deemed obstruction of justice, further cementing his conviction.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand presided over Diaz’s sentencing hearing on June 7, 2024. The judge sentenced Diaz to 185 months and 27 days’ imprisonment, followed by a term of four years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation was a collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Ida County Sheriff’s Office, Sac County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde prosecuted the case.
Court file information for this case can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl, with the case file number 23-4012. For more updates on federal crime news, follow @USAO_NDIA on Twitter.
Related Federal Cases
Key Facts
- State: Iowa
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Weapons|Human Trafficking|White Collar Crime|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
