Cedar Rapids Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Pleading Guilty to Multiple Felony Offenses

A Cedar Rapids man who was found in possession of hundreds of fentanyl pills and multiple firearms was sentenced on June 3, 2025, to more than eight years in federal prison.

Deshawn Cooks, age 34, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 30, 2024, guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

In a plea agreement, Cooks admitted he possessed 227 pills containing a detectable amount of fentanyl and 77 ecstasy pills, containing methamphetamine, which he intended to distribute in Cedar Rapids and the surrounding area.  Additionally, Cooks admitted that he possessed two Taurus 9mm caliber firearms for the purpose of protecting himself, his narcotics, and the proceeds from the sale of narcotics.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.  

Cooks was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Cooks was sentenced to 102 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.  

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

The case file number is 24-CR-74.

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