Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison

A Cedar County man who distributed methamphetamine was sentenced on September 29, 2025, to almost 12 years in federal prison.

Shane Robert McDowell, age 44, from Clarence, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 14, 2025 guilty plea to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.  

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that, between 2016 and 2022, McDowell obtained methamphetamine from several different sources of supply and distributed it to drug customers.  On February 5, 13, and 28, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted controlled purchases of methamphetamine from McDowell.  In total, McDowell agreed that he was involved with at least 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.  

McDowell was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  McDowell was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a five‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

The case was prosecuted by former Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Office, the Tipton Police Department, the Muscatine County Drug Task Force, and the Cedar Rapids Police Department. 

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

The case file number is 24‑CR‑00070‑CJW.

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