Iowa Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Drug Conspiracy

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Travis Christopher Harvey, 42, of West Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced on June 24, 2020 by United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for conspiracy to distribute and for possessing with intent to distribute five hundred grams or more of methamphetamine.  Harvey received a sentence of 240 months with a five-year term of supervised release to follow.  There is no parole in the federal system.

In mid-2018, a Drug Enforcement Administration led task force initiated Operation Dog Pound, which was a drug interdiction effort focused on an Omaha, Nebraska, drug trafficking organization.  Harvey was identified during the investigation as a distributor in the Des Moines, Iowa, area that was receiving multi-pound shipments of methamphetamine from his Omaha supplier.  Investigators utilized phone and text messaging intercepts, vehicle trackers, and physical surveillance to establish Harvey’s involvement in the conspiracy.

A federal jury convicted Harvey in February of this year.  Evidence at trial included $30,000 that was seized and intercepted phone calls between Harvey and his source.  At sentencing, Judge Rossiter found Harvey responsible for at least 5.4 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Harvey’s sentence of 240 months is noteworthy because of his extensive criminal history, which included several drug, firearm, assault, burglary, and domestic violence convictions, placing him in the highest possible category for criminal history.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Nebraska State Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Omaha Police Department, Bellevue Police Department, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Attorney’s Office were the investigating agencies.