Sioux City, Iowa — A Spencer man has been convicted on federal drug and weapons charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa says a jury found 42-year-old Oscar Navarro-Zepeda guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Navarro-Zepeda was convicted on the charges following a three-and-a-half-day jury trial in federal court in Sioux City. The U.S. Attorney’s office says evidence at the trial showed that between April 2021 and April 2023, Navarro-Zepeda was involved in the distribution of more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, including more than 50 grams of pure meth.
They say evidence also showed that on April 18th, 2023 during a search at his residence in Spencer, law enforcement seized about 33 pounds of methamphetamine, $17,932 in cash, an AR-15 style rifle with two loaded magazines in a rifle case, a partial box of ammunition, and items associated with drug distribution and paraphernalia. Federal prosecutors say Navarro-Zepeda was prohibited from possessing firearms.
Sentencing is pending the completion of a pre-sentence report. Navarro-Zepeda remains in the custody of a U.S. Marshal in the meantime. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of up to 15 years in jail with a possible maximum of life imprisonment.
(Courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting station KUOO in Spirit Lake)
