CEDAR RAPIDS — A northern Iowa man who prosecutors say dealt methamphetamine and received drug shipments through the mail has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Dustin George Burnikel, 45, of Lime Springs, Iowa, received the prison sentence after pleading guilty on October 27, 2025, to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
Federal prosecutors said Burnikel was involved in methamphetamine distribution between June 2022 and January 2024. During that time, investigators said he received packages containing controlled substances through the mail from a person in California.
Authorities said Burnikel sold methamphetamine in August 2023 to an individual who was working with law enforcement. Prosecutors said he later sold methamphetamine to an undercover officer in October 2023.
Burnikel was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. He was ordered to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal prison system.
Burnikel remains in the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep. The investigation was handled by the United States Postal Inspection Service, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa State Patrol, Howard County Sheriff’s Office, Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office and Waterloo Police Department.