Hawkeye Reporter

A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl pills. Jaylon William Throgmartin, 22, admitted guilt to the charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Evidence presented during his plea agreement and sentencing revealed that Throgmartin distributed thousands of fentanyl pills from December 2023 to October 2024. He also facilitated the exchange of a firearm for fentanyl pills. In January 2025, he provided at least one pill to an individual who subsequently overdosed but recovered after receiving Narcan.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Throgmartin in Cedar Rapids. In addition to the prison term, Throgmartin will serve a four-year supervised release period post-incarceration. Federal sentences do not include parole.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through community and law enforcement collaboration. The Department of Justice strengthened PSN's strategy on May 26, 2021, emphasizing trust-building, supporting violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement priorities, and result measurement.

Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake prosecuted the case. It was investigated under the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program by multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.

The OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led approach to dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the U.S., while Operation Take Back America mobilizes Department of Justice resources against illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations.

Throgmartin remains in United States Marshal’s custody pending transport to federal prison.