Sioux City Couple Sentenced To Federal Prison For Crack Conspiracy

A Sioux City couple who conspired to distribute crack cocaine were sentenced August 16, 2013, to federal prison.

Douglas Young, 37, and Samantha Grant, 25, each from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison terms after May 13, 2013, guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine.

At the guilty pleas, Young and Grant each admitted their involvement from about 2011 and continuing through about August 21, 2012, that distributed at least 500 grams of crack cocaine. During a traffic stop on August 21, 2012, officers conducted a search of Young and Grant and seized approximately two ounces of crack cocaine. Young and Grant intended to distribute the crack cocaine to individuals in Sioux City, Iowa. Young and Grant traveled to Omaha, Nebraska on a number of occasions, transporting between ½ ounce to 4 ½ ounce quantities of crack cocaine back to Sioux City for redistribution.

Young and Grant were sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. Young was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment. Grant was sentenced to 39 months’ imprisonment. A special assessment of $200 was imposed for each. And each must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison terms. There is no parole in the federal system.

Young and Grant are being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until they can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 12-4107.