SIOUX CITY – A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and illegally possessed a firearm was sentenced on February 28, 2022, to 15 years in federal prison.
Joshua Currier, 31 from Spencer, Iowa, pled guilty October 5, 2021, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and illegal possession of a firearm. Currier was previously convicted of Forgery, in the Iowa District Court for Dickinson County, on or about June 13, 2011, and Domestic Abuse Assault Impeding Flow of Air/Blood in the Iowa District Court for Clay County, on or about August 9, 2017. Both convictions prohibit Currier from possessing a firearm.
Evidence at the hearings showed that between January 2020 and continuing to on or about February 2021, Currier and others conspired to distribute at least 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. Further evidence showed that in December 2020, Currier traded a Canik 9mm pistol and methamphetamine and then gave to another to settle a drug debt.
Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. Currier was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and must serve a 5-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. Currier remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and was investigated by Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Spencer Police Department, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
