Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, Fentanyl Charges, Iowa 2024

A Des Moines man was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after a one-day bench trial found him guilty of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl.

Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, 37, was identified as a source of supply of counterfeit fentanyl pills in the Des Moines metro in the fall of 2023. Police conducted several controlled buys of hundreds of fentanyl pills from him.

In early 2024, law enforcement surveilled Mohamed as he traveled to Arizona and quickly returned to Iowa. A traffic stop of Mohamed's vehicle found him in possession of approximately 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills.

On September 30, 2024, following a one-day bench trial, a federal judge found Mohamed guilty. At his sentencing, a federal judge found Mohamed obstructed justice by committing perjury at his trial by lying under oath.

After completing his term of imprisonment, Mohamed will be required to serve a 6-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl.

In 2023, accidental overdose was the number one cause of death in 37 states for residents under 40 years old. In Iowa, opioid-related deaths reached a record high 258 in 2021, up 64% compared with 2019, and decreased 8% in 2022.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdia/pr/des-moines-man-sentenced-204-months-federal-prison-drug-charges