Heroin Dealer Sentenced

The head of a heroin distribution conspiracy was sentenced January 30, 2014, to more than 27 years in federal prison.

Dwayne Appling, 37, from Chicago, Illinois, received the prison term after an August 26, 2013, guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin and one count of distributing heroin near a school.

According to information disclosed at the sentencing hearing, between 2007 and March of 2010, Appling headed an organization responsible for distributing thousands of grams of heroin throughout the Waterloo area.  Appling recruited at least eight other individuals to sell heroin on his behalf.  Appling’s organization was extensive, involving over thirty other individuals who have been prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office. 

Appling was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade.  Appling was sentenced to 327 months’ imprisonment on each count to run concurrently.  The Court also imposed a special assessment of $200.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Lisa C. Williams and was investigated by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Cedar Rapids Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force and the Tri-County Drug Task Force.  The Cedar Rapids DEA Task

Force consists of the DEA; Linn County Sheriff's Office; Cedar Rapids Police Department; Marion Police Department; Iowa City Police Department; Clinton
Police Department; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services.  The Tri-County Drug Task Force consists of the Waterloo Police Department; Cedar Falls Police Department; Waverly Police Department; Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office; LaPorte City Police Department; Evansdale Police Department; Hudson Police Department; and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is CR-11-2025.