SIOUX CITY — A Northern Iowa man who sold methamphetamine to law enforcement informants in five controlled purchases has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges, admitting his involvement in a conspiracy operating in the Fort Dodge area for approximately two years.
Sean Paxson, 57, of Clare, Iowa, pleaded guilty Wednesday, November 4, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa.
At his plea hearing, Paxson admitted that between July 2024 and July 2026, he and others conspired to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine, including at least 150 grams of pure methamphetamine, in the Fort Dodge area.
In May 2026, law enforcement used informants to make five controlled methamphetamine purchases from Paxson. Prosecutors said those transactions totaled more than 180 grams of pure methamphetamine.
The controlled buys provided investigators with evidence of Paxson’s direct role in distributing the drug, while his guilty plea acknowledged a broader conspiracy involving other people.
The case adds to a series of federal methamphetamine prosecutions arising in and around Fort Dodge.
In a separate case, NorthIowaToday.com reported that William Rondell Lashawn Smith was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison after a methamphetamine conspiracy involving more than 14 kilograms of the drug in the Fort Dodge area.
In January, NIT covered another Fort Dodge drug trafficking defendant facing at least a decade in prison.
Federal prosecutors have not identified the defendants in those separate cases as participants in Paxson’s conspiracy.
Paxson faces a mandatory minimum prison term of 10 years and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment. He also faces a potential fine of up to $15 million and at least five years of supervised release following imprisonment.
U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will set a sentencing date after a presentence investigation report is prepared. Paxson remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.
The investigation involved the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Laboratory and Webster County Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn S. Wehde is prosecuting the case, numbered 26-3034 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.