Des Moines Man Sentenced to Prison for Involvement in Methamphetamine Conspiracy and Firearm Offenses

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – On January 19, 2016, Manuel Montejano Pinon, 47, of Des Moines, Iowa, was sentenced by Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner to 164 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and 60 months in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin E. VanderSchel. The two prison terms were ordered to be served consecutively.

Pinon pled guilty to the charges on September 23, 2015. According to the plea agreement, Pinon was involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Southern District of Iowa. As part of the conspiracy, Pinon delivered money from the sale of methamphetamine to the methamphetamine suppliers. Pinon also possessed a firearm to further his involvement in drug trafficking.

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.