Illinois Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Over 900 Grams of Heroin and Fentanyl

A man who possessed 975.7 grams of heroin and fentanyl was sentenced today to more than 7 years in federal prison.

Matthew J. Moreno, age 43, from Riverdale, Illinois, received the prison term after a February 3, 2023 guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that Moreno was a passenger in a car that the Iowa State Patrol stopped for speeding.  The driver of the vehicle, Donald Ray Owens, fled from officers, and a high-speed chase followed before the car ultimately crashed.  During the chase, someone threw a vacuum‑sealed package out of the car which contained 975.7 grams of heroin and fentanyl.  Officers also found over $17,000 in cash in Moreno’s and Owens’s possession.

Moreno was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Moreno was sentenced to 87 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

On March 15, 2023, Owens pled guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute and aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.  Owens is scheduled to be sentenced on August 8, 2023.

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

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Norwood and Special Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office, 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-32.

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