Rose Lee Beranek, age 44, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was sentenced on April 13 to twelve years in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Beranek admitted in a plea agreement that she obtained nearly two pounds of methamphetamine in Arizona in February 2024. She was stopped by law enforcement officers while driving back to Cedar Rapids through Oklahoma. Officers searched her car and found the drugs packaged in vacuum-sealed bags.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams handed down the sentence of 144 months’ imprisonment and ordered Beranek to serve a five-year term of supervised release following her prison term. There is no parole available under the federal system.
This case falls under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is described as a partnership among various government agencies aimed at eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling operations within the United States and abroad. The task force emphasizes prosecuting crimes involving children and uses all available tools against violent criminal aliens.
The Kansas City branch of HSTF covers Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska with agents from several federal agencies including Homeland Security Investigations; Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Internal Revenue Service; United States Marshals Service; United States Postal Inspection Service; state investigative agencies from four states; and local police departments.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted this case with investigative support from HSTF Kansas City as well as local law enforcement including Linn County Sheriff’s Office, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Marion Police Department, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national effort by the Department of Justice focused on fighting illegal immigration and dismantling transnational criminal organizations. Beranek remains held by U.S. Marshals until she is transported to a federal prison.
