Drug Dealer Who Received Methamphetamine by Mail Sentenced to Two Decades in Federal Prison

A man on supervised release from a prior drug conspiracy conviction involving methamphetamine was sentenced on August 29, 2023, to 20 years in federal prison for participating in another drug conspiracy.

Justin Lee Hanawalt, age 34, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 9, 2023 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.           

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that Hanawalt had packages sent to his residence in Waterloo, Iowa, containing “ice” methamphetamine from his source of supply in California.  After he was caught, Hanawalt continued to find alternative suppliers to provide him with controlled substances.  Hanawalt was on federal supervised release for a previous methamphetamine related conviction during this time.  While in custody for this offense, Hanawalt smuggled controlled substances into the jail and distributed those substances to other inmates.

Hanawalt was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Hanawalt was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  He was also sentenced to a consecutive term of 33 months’ imprisonment for violating the conditions of his supervised release for his prior federal conviction.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Waterloo Police Department, the Black Hawk County Sherriff’s Office and the Tri-County Drug Task Force.

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

The case file number is 22-CR- 2065.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.