(NIT photo)
CEDAR RAPIDS — A desperate Iowa methamphetamine dealer who tried to escape from custody before sentencing has been handed a long federal prison term.
Christopher Allen Puccio, 32, of Dubuque, Iowa, was sentenced June 30, 2026, to 25 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Puccio entered his guilty plea on July 21, 2025. He was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.
Federal prosecutors said evidence presented at sentencing showed Puccio worked with his uncle, David Parker, and others in July 2024 to acquire ice methamphetamine from Madison, Wisconsin, and distribute it to customers in the Dubuque area.
Authorities said Puccio was tied to about a pound and a half of ice methamphetamine.
The case also included a jailhouse escape attempt while Puccio was in custody awaiting sentencing. Prosecutors said Puccio and another person used a “makeshift” tool to remove grout around a cinderblock below a cell window.
Puccio also had a lengthy criminal history before the federal sentence. Prosecutors said he had at least 18 prior adult convictions, including delivery of ecstasy, assault on a peace officer, and willful injury causing serious bodily injury.
In addition to the 300-month prison sentence, Puccio must serve five years of supervised release after his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Puccio remains in the custody of the United States Marshals Service until he is transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, FBI, DEA, United States Marshals Service and Linn County Sheriff’s Office.