Federal Prisoner Sentenced for Contraband in Pottawattamie County Jail

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – On April 25, 2018, Ivan Antonio Cervantes, age 32, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for possession of contraband by a federal prisoner, announced United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum. Cervantes was ordered to serve 18 months in prison and two years of supervised release to follow his prison term. This sentence is to be served consecutively to a prior 70 month sentence for a felony drug offense prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

Cervantes and others distributed a synthetic cannabinoid while incarcerated at the Pottawattamie County Jail. On May 17, 2017, jail staff seized a substance from Cervantes’ cell with the use of a drug-detecting dog. Lab reports confirmed the substance found hidden in Cervantes’ cell tested positive for a synthetic cannabinoid. Further investigation revealed another individual brought the substance to the jail, then distributed the substance to other inmates.

This case was investigated by Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.