West Burlington Man Sentenced on Federal Drug Charges
DAVENPORT, IA - On January 28, 2009, Eliseo Aguilar Cerda, age 26, formerly of West Burlington, Iowa was sentenced by United States District Court Judge John A. Jarvey to 42 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker. Cerda was also ordered pay an assessment of $100 to the Crime Victim Fund, and to serve three years of supervised release after his imprisonment.
On February 27, 2008, Burlington law enforcement officers observed a vehicle leave a residence in West Burlington, Iowa. A traffic stop of this vehicle in McDonough County, Illinois resulted in the arrest of the driver and seizure of approximately 14 grams of cocaine. The results of this traffic stop and other investigation resulted in a state search warrant at the West Burlington residence occupied on that date by Eliseo Cerda. Officers seized several items from the residence, including 225 grams of cocaine and 750 grams of marijuana. Cerda pled guilty to federal charges in September 2008. Cerda admitted that he possessed this cocaine with the intent to distribute some or all of it to others.
This case was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Iowa. This investigation was conducted by the Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Southeast Iowa Narcotics Task Force, the Burlington Police Department, the Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office and the McDonough County Sheriff’s Office.