One-Pot Meth Cook Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison

A man who conspired to manufacture methamphetamine was sentenced April 18, 2019, to 15 years in federal prison.

Justin Michael Cinkan, age 28, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, received the prison term after a November 20, 2018, jury verdict finding him guilty of conspiring to manufacture five grams or more of methamphetamine near a school and possessing pseudoephedrine for the purpose of manufacturing methamphetamine.

The evidence at trial showed that between September 2015 and May 2016, Cinkan purchased over 25 grams of pseudoephedrine for the purpose of cooking meth.  On four other occasions during that time frame, he had been blocked from purchasing pseudoephedrine as a result of the State of Iowa’s electronic pseudoephedrine tracking system.  Trial evidence also showed that Cinkan had other individuals purchase pseudoephedrine and other materials used for manufacturing meth.  In the few days prior to May 1, 2016, Cinkan and a woman stockpiled materials to cook meth at a home in Marion.  Cinkan and the woman got into an argument and he threatened to blow up the female by lighting an active one-pot meth lab on fire.  After the woman’s brother found an apparent one-pot meth lab in the house and called police, the Marion Police Department discovered the one-pot lab and other meth-making materials in the house.

Cinkan was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Cinkan was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve an 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

At sentencing, Chief Judge Strand found that Cinkan had recruited others into the conspiracy, and also found that Cinkan had testified falsely at trial.  The court also noted that Cinkan had gone on a “crime spree” in May 2016.  Cinkan was convicted of three felonies after he stole, and then abandoned, three cars during the week after the discovery of his meth lab on May 1.  The final stolen car was later found with materials for meth manufacturing still inside.  Cinkan had also previously been convicted of a felony crime of possessing methamphetamine precursors.

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

The case was investigated by the Marion Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Chatham and Kyndra Lundquist.

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

The case file number is 18-CR-00053-LTS.

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