graettinger man sentenced to 24 years for making meth
Contact: Peter Deegan
A man who conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and possess and distribute pseudoephedrine was sentenced on December 21, 2011, to 24 years in federal prison.
Daren Wayne Titus, age 34, from Graettinger, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 27, 2010, guilty plea to one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and distribute and possess pseudoephedrine with the intent to manufacture methamphetamine.
At the guilty plea, Titus admitted that between January 2002 and October 4, 2007, he and others manufactured and distributed methamphetamine. Titus admitted he supervised others in gathering pseudoephedrine pills, lithium batteries, anhydrous ammonia, and other items to manufacture methamphetamine.
Titus has two prior felony drug convictions and one prior felony burglary conviction.
Titus was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Titus was sentenced to 285 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $100 was imposed. He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Titus 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 Kevin C. Fletcher and investigated by the Palo Alto County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is CR09-3030.
