Cedar Rapids Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Heroin

A woman who distributed fentanyl and heroin was sentenced today to two years in federal prison.

Susan Heins, age 47, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after an April 6, 2023 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that, on October 21, 2020, law enforcement conducted a controlled buy of purported heroin from an individual in Cedar Rapids.  Once the location of the controlled buy was arranged, Heins met with the confidential source at the meeting location and distributed fentanyl and heroin. 

Heins was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Heins was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force consisting 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.

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

The case file number is 22-CR-92.

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