SIOUX CITY – An Omaha drug dealer caught with pounds of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute in Mason City was sentenced today to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Jose L. Velez, Sr. (pictured at top), age 39, from Omaha, Nebraska, received the prison term after a June 12, 2024, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
At the plea and sentencing hearings, Velez admitted on or about February 23, 2024, he knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute 14 pounds of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. NIT reported back in February of this year that the notorious Omaha drug dealer was caught at 24th Street SW and South Monroe Avenue in Mason City with nine lbs. of the dangerous, highly-addictive substance.
Velez, Sr. was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand. Velez, Sr. was sentenced to 126 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Velez, Sr. is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Fletcher and was investigated by the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, the Clear Lake Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Mason City Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa DCI Laboratory, and the Cerro Gordo County Attorney’s Office.