Sioux City Woman Sentenced to Federal Prison for Meth Conspiracy

A woman who conspired to distribute methamphetamine was sentenced February 19, 2021, to more than 18 years in federal prison.

Delfina Torres-Perez, 33, from Sioux City, Iowa, received the prison term after a September 25, 2020, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Torres-Perez was previously convicted in the Northern District of Iowa for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in 2012.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from about November 2019 through March 2020, Torres-Perez and others conspired to distribute more than 22 pounds of methamphetamine.  On two occasions in March 2020, Torres-Perez distributed about one pound of methamphetamine to persons cooperating with law enforcement.  Torres-Perez also traveled to California, obtained 20 pounds of methamphetamine, which  she brought back to northwest Iowa, hidden in the gas tank of the vehicle for later distribution.  Torres-Perez also admitted to involvement in an additional 30 pounds of methamphetamine distribution in the northwest Iowa area, obtained from large-scale sources in the Sioux City area.

Torres-Perez was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Torres-Perez was sentenced to 204 months’ imprisonment, consecutive to 18 months’ imprisonment, ordered to be served for violation of her previous federal supervised release.  She must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Torres-Perez is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and investigated by 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 at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-4051.  Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.