Arkansas Man Sentenced to Ten Years In Federal Prison for Meth Conviction

A man who conspired to distribute methamphetamine and distributed methamphetamine was sentenced on February 2, 2023, in federal court in Sioux City.

Leocadio Contreras-Sebastian, 38, from Warren, Arkansas, pled guilty on August 24, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distributing methamphetamine.

At the plea and sentencing hearings, evidence showed that from January 2020 through April 2, 2022, Contreras-Sebastian and others distributed at least 3.53 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in the Sioux City, Iowa area. On April 2, 2022, law enforcement conducted a controlled drug buy operation from defendant and his co-conspirators.  Contreras-Sebastian distributed over 3 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in exchange for an initial payment of $5,000. Contreras-Sebastian admitted that he traveled from Arkansas to Sioux City, Iowa for the purposes of delivering the methamphetamine to another co-conspirator.           

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Contreras-Sebastian was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment and must serve a five-year term of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Contreras-Sebastian remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.  

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 22-4026.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.