Repeat Federal Offender Pleads Guilty to Meth Distribution

Jermiah Preston, 41, from Fort Dodge pled guilty May 22, 2024, in federal court in Sioux City to distribution of methamphetamine.

In March 2017, Preston was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and distributing a controlled substance in the United States District Court in Northern District of Iowa.

At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on January 23, 2023, Preston participated in a meth transaction with a confidential informant.  During a traffic stop after the transaction, Preston was observed to throw two bags of methamphetamine out the truck window.  The buy money expended was found on Preston’s person, and DNA on the discarded bags of meth matched Preston’s.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Preston remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Preston faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $8,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol. 

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

The case file number is 23-3029.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.