Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Conspiracy

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty October 18, 2021, in federal court in Sioux City.

Daniel Dickey, 34, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

At the plea hearing, Dickey admitted that between December 2020 and continuing to April 2021, he and others conspired to distribute over 26 pounds of methamphetamine in the Sioux City area.  Dickey was recruited by a Texas-based meth organization to assist in the receipt of multiple shipments of liquid methamphetamine (for lab-based meth conversion), plus traditional vehicle transport of methamphetamine from Mexico to Texas to Iowa to South Dakota.  Evidence further showed that in March and April of 2021, law enforcement conducted multiple controlled drug/money transactions with Dickey in Sioux City, Iowa.  These transactions resulted in the seizure of more than one pound of methamphetamine, a sizable amount of liquid ready for chemical conversion into methamphetamine by a coconspirator, and about $40,000 in drug proceeds from Dickey.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Dickey remains in custody of the United States Marshal and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Dickey faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five 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 Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.   

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

The case file number is 21-4042.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.