Hawkeye Reporter

A Waterloo man, Matthew James Wessels, aged 44, has been sentenced to over nineteen years in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. The sentencing took place on July 2, 2025, following Wessels' guilty plea on December 23, 2024. He was charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having a prior conviction for a serious drug felony.

According to the plea agreement, Wessels admitted that during the summer of 2024, shortly after being released from federal prison for a previous drug-related offense, he collaborated with others to import and distribute ice methamphetamine in Waterloo and nearby areas. He sold the drug to an undercover officer on three occasions and was found in possession of over three pounds of it at another time. In total, Wessels was accountable for distributing more than thirteen pounds of ice methamphetamine.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Wessels in Cedar Rapids to 234 months in prison. Following his imprisonment, he will serve a ten-year term of supervised release. It is important to note that there is no parole available in the federal system.

The case against Wessels was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force which includes various local police departments and sheriff's offices; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Jones County Sheriff’s Department; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.