CEDAR RAPIDS – Gun-toting brothers from a small Northern Iowa town have been sent to prison by federal authorities for dealing heroin and the ultra-dangerous drug fentanyl.
Kaleb Breitsprecher, age 22, received the prison term after an August 25, 2017 guilty plea to distributing heroin and possession of a firearm as an unlawful drug user. Cole Breitsprecher, age 24, received the prison term after a September 1, 2017 guilty plea to distribution of furanyl fentanyl and possession of a firearm as an unlawful drug user.
Evidence at a prior hearing showed that law enforcement purchased drugs from the brothers multiple times in April and May 2017. During one of the controlled buys, Cole Breitsprecher sold an aerosol bottle of liquid containing furanyl fentanyl, a potent analogue of fentanyl. During other controlled buys, Kaleb Breitsprecher sold baggies of heroin. During June 2017 searches at their respective residences in Ossian, law enforcement seized 12 guns. Each brother possessed a Bushmaster rifle with multiple high-capacity magazines. Both brothers admitted to being unlawful users of heroin, fentanyl, and marijuana.
“The Breitsprechers endangered the entire community by unlawfully possessing guns while using drugs,” said United States Attorney Peter E. Deegan, Jr. “They also sold heroin and furanyl fentanyl, presenting a grave risk to everyone who bought these incredibly dangerous opioids.”
The Breitsprechers were sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade. Kaleb Breitsprecher was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment. Cole Breitsprecher was sentenced to 46 months’ imprisonment and fined $5,000. Each must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Both men are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to federal prison.
The case was investigated by the Northeast Iowa Drug Task Force and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.
