Zachary James Kruse, Methamphetamine Distribution, Iowa 2023

A shocking tale of drug abuse has come to light in Iowa, as Zachary James Kruse, a 38-year-old man from Cedar Rapids, and Cheyenne Nicole Mason, a 34-year-old woman from Palo, have been sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

According to evidence presented at the sentencing hearings, on April 29, 2022, law enforcement officers searched a motel room in Mount Vernon, Iowa, where Kruse and Mason had been staying. During the search, officers recovered 120.84 grams of methamphetamine, some of which was hidden in deodorant containers.

Kruse and Mason pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance on May 4, 2023, and May 15, 2023, respectively. United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams presided over the sentencing hearings in Cedar Rapids.

Zachary James Kruse was sentenced to 240 months' imprisonment and will also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. Cheyenne Nicole Mason was sentenced to 59 months and 393 days' imprisonment and will also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. In the federal system, there is no parole.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and Assistant United States Attorney Jason Norwood, with the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Police Department conducting the investigation.

The case file number is 22-CR-99, and court file information can be found at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA for updates on this and other cases.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndia/pr/couple-sent-prison-conspiring-distribute-drugs