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Press Release

Illinois Man Sentenced to over 13 years in Prison for Distributing Heroin and Fentanyl Near a College and Park

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa

A man who distributed heroin and fentanyl in Dubuque, Iowa, was sentenced April 13, 2023, to more than 13 years in prison in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Menelaeus C. Watson, age 35, from Chicago, Illinois, was convicted of distribution of heroin and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a protected location.

In a plea agreement, Watson admitted to engaging in two transactions to distribute heroin and fentanyl in Dubuque.  The transactions took place within 1,000 feet of a local college and two parks.  Watson was previously convicted for unlawfully delivering illegal controlled substances on two separate occasions in Illinois.

Sentencing was held before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.

Watson was sentenced to serve 164 months’ imprisonment and must serve a 6-year term of supervised release following his term of incarceration.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Watson remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to federal prison.

This case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason D. Norwood.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 21-CR-1033-CJW.

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Updated April 14, 2023

Topics
Opioids
Drug Trafficking