Press Release
Woman Convicted for Selling Pounds of Methamphetamine in Cedar Rapids
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Iowa
A woman who sold at least five pounds of ice methamphetamine pled guilty August 9, 2018, in federal court in Cedar Rapids.
Lauren Nicole Ward, age 30, originally from Newport News, Virginia, was convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
At a previous court hearing, evidence showed that, beginning in August 2017, Ward lived with a roommate in a house in Cedar Rapids. Ward’s roommate was receiving approximately 10 to 15 pounds of methamphetamine per month from Mexican sources during this time. While she was living at the house, Ward sold at least five pounds of her roommate’s methamphetamine. Ward’s roommate also directed Ward to use Wells Fargo and Western Union to wire thousands of dollars to Mexico. Ward was paid $100 each time she wired money for her roommate.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Ward was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing. She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Drew O. Inman and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Marion Police Department, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Linn County Sheriff’s Office. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov. The case file number is 18-CR-66-LRR.
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Updated August 14, 2018
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component