SIOUX CITY – A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine while illegally possessing firearms was sentenced August 30, 2019, to 20 years in federal prison.
Wayne Quillen, age 49, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a felon. Quillen was previously convicted of robbery in the first degree in 1989 and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in 2001, each in Webster County, Iowa.
At the plea hearing on March 12, 2019, Quillen admitted that from about 2017 through July 2018, he and others conspired to distribute more than three pounds of methamphetamine in the Fort Dodge area. On December 27, 2017, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence of a co-conspirator, Cody Groat, where Quillen was living. Officers seized ¾ pound of methamphetamine, three handguns, a modified (short) .410 shotgun with no serial number, and assorted 9mm ammunition. Two of the 9mm handguns had been stolen and the short shotgun possessed by defendant had a makeshift shoulder strap and was found just outside defendant’s bedroom in the basement.
Quillen was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Quillen was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system. Quillen 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 Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Fort Dodge Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Webster County, Iowa Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.
