Sioux City, Iowa — A Cherokee man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine pled guilty this week in federal court in Sioux City.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Sioux City reports that 36-year-old Raymond Andrew Kerns of Cherokee was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Kerns had been previously convicted of possession of a controlled substance, third or subsequent offense, in Pottawattamie County in August 2017.
At the plea hearing, Kerns admitted that from January 2017 through February 2018, he was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine mixture in and around the Cherokee area. On February 27, 2018, Kerns was apprehended by law enforcement in Storm Lake when he attempted to meet a co-conspirator for purposes of methamphetamine trafficking. The US Attorney’s office says law enforcement seized $1,500 and eight grams of methamphetamine from Kerns, which Kerns admitted he planned to distribute to other persons.
They tell us that sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Kerns remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing and faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, an $8 million fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
