Whittemore Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Meth Conspiracy

A man who conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine was sentenced February 5, 2013, to ten years in federal prison.

Matthew Ryan McCauley, 33, from Whittemore, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 17, 2012, guilty plea to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. In October 2008 McCauley was convicted of possession of a controlled substance, 1st offense (cocaine) and in April 2003, McCauley was convicted of possession of a precursor with intent to manufacture methamphetamine, both in Iowa.

At the guilty plea, McCauley admitted his involvement from about December 2010 through about May 2012 with at least 50 grams of actual (pure) methamphetamine and at least 100 grams of pseudoephedrine for the manufacture of methamphetamine. On May 2, 2012, McCauley traded approximately .25 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for 20 pseudoephedrine pills in a controlled transaction with an undercover law enforcement officer. McCauley planned to use the pseudoephedrine to manufacture methamphetamine.

McCauley was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. McCauley was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

McCauley is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Great Lakes Drug Task Force.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 12-3023.