Rose Lee Beranek, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Iowa 2024

Cedar Rapids Woman Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Trafficking

A 43-year-old woman from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute nearly two pounds of methamphetamine in the state. According to a federal court indictment, Rose Lee Beranek was driving to Cedar Rapids from Arizona when law enforcement officers pulled over her car in Oklahoma, where they discovered the methamphetamine in vacuum-sealed bags.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Oklahoma District One Narcotics Task Force. The effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

As part of her plea agreement, Beranek admitted to obtaining nearly two pounds of methamphetamine in Arizona in February 2024. The methamphetamine was found in vacuum-sealed bags during the search of her car in Oklahoma. Beranek faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, as well as a $10,000,000 fine and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the federal government to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from perpetrators of violent crime. Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.

Beranek remains in the custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. The case file number is 25-CR-13. Additional information about the OCDETF Program and Operation Take Back America can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF and https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline

The public can follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa on X at @USAO_NDIA.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl

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