Cedar Rapids Man Who Transported Hundreds of Pounds of Methamphetamine from California Sentenced to Federal Prison

A man who regularly transported methamphetamine from California to Iowa for a Cedar Rapids drug trafficking organization was sentenced July 25, 2023, to more than 16 years in federal prison.

Calub Joseph Storlie, age 35, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 7, 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of being an unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm.

Information provided at sentencing and evidence presented in a prior hearing showed that Storlie took numerous trips to California between 2017 and 2020 to obtain ice methamphetamine for David Belton.  Storlie eventually recruited a relative, Albert Bailey, to join him on the trips, and each was paid about $2,000 per trip as well as expenses.  On these trips, Storlie commonly drove a “trap car” with a false compartment inside to transport the drugs.  That “trap car” was seized by law enforcement in 2020 with documents indicating that the insurance for the car was in Storlie’s name and 30 pounds of ice methamphetamine was found inside the false compartment. 

During a wiretap investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Cedar Rapids in late 2021 and early 2022, Bailey was discovered to be a driver for a group of individuals who were purchasing ice methamphetamine in California and selling it in eastern Iowa.  Bailey traveled to California and then drove between 30 and 60 pounds of methamphetamine back to Iowa, where other individuals sold it.  In February 2022, intercepted communications over the wiretap indicated that Bailey would be transporting methamphetamine from California to Iowa.  Investigators tracked Bailey’s vehicle and stopped it in York County, Nebraska.  During a search of the vehicle, investigators located and seized approximately 60 pounds of ice methamphetamine.  Immediately following the seizure of the methamphetamine in Nebraska, Storlie was intercepted on the wiretap speaking to other members of the conspiracy about the seizure and how to cover it up.  Evidence in the case showed that Storlie had previously gone on similar trips to California for the same individuals as Bailey.

In addition to his involvement in the distribution of methamphetamine, Storlie purchased and stored at least nine firearms for Belton, who was a felon.  Storlie had falsified ATF forms to purchase the firearms.

Eleven other individuals were charged in the same investigation as Storlie.  David Poitier Belton, Derek Michael Mims, Phillip Lanell Rogers, Robert Lee Michael Bates, Anton Tarrice Whitney, Jr., Christopher Eric Curley, Elmer Mims, and Timothy Michael Webber are all awaiting sentencing.  Kiyonte Levell Sowell was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment.  Albert Henry Bailey was sentenced to 88 months’ imprisonment.  Jesus Vera was sentenced to 151 months’ imprisonment.

Storlie was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Storlie was sentenced to 200 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.

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

The case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the DEA Task Force in Cedar Rapids and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The DEA Task Force in Cedar Rapids consists of the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.

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

The case file number is 22‑CR‑39‑CJW‑MAR.