A Waterloo father and his two sons were charged for conspiring to distribute cocaine. The three were convicted by a jury in federal court following a trial that lasted for five days.
The 64-year-old man and his sons were convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack and powder cocaine. The father was also convicted of the distribution of crack cocaine. The 43-year-old son was convicted of distributing crack cocaine and of distributing powder cocaine while the 34-year-old son was convicted of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute.
The FBI and the DEA reportedly used wiretaps during their investigation of the men in order to learn about drug trafficking. Through the wiretaps, law enforcement officers claim they found that the three men were importing pounds of cocaine into Iowa to sell in the state. All three are in the custody of the U.S. Marshal until they are sentenced. A sentencing date has not yet been set. When the three are sentenced, the father and his 43-year-old son are each facing a mandatory minimum of 20 years in federal prison up to life in prison.
Drug charges can be very serious. When people are accused of bringing large quantities of drugs into the state from across state lines to sell, they may be prosecuted in federal court. Depending on the charges, people may face life imprisonment if they are convicted. Individuals who have been charged may want to get help from experienced criminal defense lawyers. Attorneys may review the evidence carefully to look for any problems with how the investigations, searches and seizures were conducted by law enforcement. If they identify problems, they might be able to seek suppression of the evidence against their clients.
Source: The Gazette, “Waterloo father and sons convicted of distributing cocaine,” Trish Mehaffey, April 30, 2018.
