Man Deported from China Arraigned on 2011 Drug Charge

Levi Wallace, age 32, from Long Grove, Iowa, has been charged with one count of importation of an analogue controlled substance, one count of use of the United States mail to facilitate a drug crime, and one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute a mixture or substance containing 4- Methymethcathinone (commonly called mephedrone or 4-MMC), an analogue of methcathinone, a Schedule I controlled substance.­ 

The charges are contained in an Indictment filed on January 12, 2011, and unsealed on June 25, 2019.  On June 25, Wallace was arrested in the Central District of California when he arrived by plane from China, where he had been living since 2010.  Chinese authorities deported Wallace on June 24, 2019.  Wallace had hearings in federal court in California, which resulted in his detention. 

­If convicted on all charges, Wallace faces a possible maximum sentence of 44 years’ imprisonment, a $2,250,000 fine, and 9 years of supervised release following any imprisonment.­

Wallace appeared today in federal court in Cedar Rapids and was continued to be held without bond.  Wallace’s next appearance for trial is set for September 23, 2019. 

As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and was investigated by Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Task Force comprised 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 11-CR-2004.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.