Hawkeye Reporter

A Cedar Rapids man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl near an elementary school. D’quon Morrow, 27, pleaded guilty on March 28, 2025, to one count of distributing at least 40 grams of fentanyl near a protected location.

According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Morrow was involved in distributing fentanyl and cocaine between February and July 2024 in Cedar Rapids. In March 2024, he distributed 6.50 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl to another individual. The following month, he sold a firearm while having a prior felony conviction for eluding. In May 2024, he distributed an additional 20.75 grams of fentanyl. In June 2024, Morrow distributed 48.60 grams of fentanyl near Madison Elementary School in Cedar Rapids. A search of his residence in July led law enforcement to recover two firearms, ammunition, and over 1,000 fentanyl pills.

Morrow received his sentence from United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams: “Morrow was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment and must also serve an eight-year term of supervised release after the prison term.” There is no parole in the federal system; Morrow will remain in U.S. Marshal’s custody until transfer to a federal prison.

The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Cedar Rapids Police Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.

This case is also connected with Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which aims to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration among law enforcement agencies and community organizations. The Department of Justice launched a strengthened violent crime reduction strategy for PSN on May 26, 2021.

Additionally, this prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative that combines resources from OCDETFs and PSN to address illegal immigration issues, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect communities from violent crime.