Travis Christopher Harvey, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Nebraska 2020

A 42-year-old West Des Moines man has been sentenced to 240 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine conspiracy in Nebraska.

Travis Christopher Harvey was sentenced on June 24, 2020 by United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for conspiracy to distribute and for possessing with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to the United States Attorney's Office, Harvey was identified as a distributor in the Des Moines area who was receiving multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine from his Omaha supplier.

During the investigation, which was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, investigators used phone and text messaging intercepts, vehicle trackers, and physical surveillance to establish Harvey's involvement in the conspiracy.

A federal jury convicted Harvey in February of this year. Evidence at trial included $30,000 that was seized and intercepted phone calls between Harvey and his source.

At sentencing, Judge Rossiter found Harvey responsible for at least 5.4 kilograms of methamphetamine. Harvey's sentence of 240 months is noteworthy because of his extensive criminal history, which included several drug, firearm, assault, burglary, and domestic violence convictions, placing him in the highest possible category for criminal history.

The investigation was a result of Operation Dog Pound, a drug interdiction effort focused on an Omaha, Nebraska, drug trafficking organization. The investigating agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nebraska State Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Omaha Police Department, Bellevue Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Attorney's Office.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ne/pr/iowa-man-sentenced-240-months-drug-conspiracy