Sioux City, Iowa — A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine in northwest Iowa has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison.
According to the US Attorney’s office, 50-year-old Juan Lopez-Zuniga of Denison was convicted by a jury earlier this year after a three-day trial in federal court, of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The verdict was returned following about three hours of jury deliberations.
The US Attorney’s office reports that the evidence at trial showed that Lopez-Zuniga was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from October 2015 through September 2016, from the Denison area. Evidence showed that Lopez-Zuniga conducted runs from Denison, right through our area — to Worthington, Minnesota — delivering half-pound quantities of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator for further re-distribution in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. Lopez-Zuniga would then return to Denison with the proceeds of drug sales.
United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Lopez-Zuniga to 127 months’ imprisonment. (That’s a little over ten and a half years.) He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after his release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
