CEDAR RAPIDS – A man who was responsible for distributing pounds of ice methamphetamine was sentenced today to more than ten years in federal prison.
Duane Baker, age 28, from New Hartford, Iowa received the prison term after an October 29, 2018 guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine by a convicted drug felon.
Evidence during the case established that while incarcerated in state prison for state felony drug charges, Baker became involved in a conspiracy to distribute ice methamphetamine. From prison, he recruited the mother of his child to distribute methamphetamine on his behalf. Once released from state prison, he continued his involvement in the conspiracy, ultimately distributing more than five founds of ice methamphetamine.
Baker was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by Chief United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Baker was sentenced to 131 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Baker is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force (Waterloo Police Department; Cedar Falls Police Department; Waverly Police Department; Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office; LaPorte City Police Department; Evansdale Police Department; Hudson Police Department), Mid Iowa Drug Task Force (Marshalltown Police Department; Marshall County Sheriff’s Office; Tama County), and Dubuque Drug Task Force (Dubuque Police Department; Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office).
