Two Cedar Rapids Men Plead Guilty to Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and Cocaine

In recent days, two men who conspired to distribute controlled substances pled guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Isaiah Pirtle, also known as “Pudge,” age 33, from Cedar Rapids was convicted today of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.  Daxxton Cook, age 36, from Cedar Rapids was convicted on April 10, 2025, of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.  

In a plea agreement, Cook admitted that he agreed with other people to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.  On February 7, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Cook sold someone 16 fentanyl pills.  On February 8, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Cook sold someone 1.93 grams of cocaine and 5.37 grams of fentanyl and fluorofentanyl.  On May 28, 2024, in Cedar Rapids, Cook sold someone 12.55 grams of cocaine and 20.75 grams of fentanyl.  Cook was previously convicted of a felony drug offense. 

In a plea agreement, Pirtle admitted that he agreed with other people to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, as well as a detectable amount of cocaine. 

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake and was investigated as part of the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Pirtle and Cook remain in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Pirtle faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.  Cook faces a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and a lifetime term of supervised release following any imprisonment.  

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

The case file number is 25-CR-4.

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