Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Conspiracy

DAVENPORT, Iowa – Two men were sentenced to federal prison yesterday for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

According to public court documents, between 2022 and 2023, Zachariah Terrell Ross, 27, of Davenport, and co-defendant, Cristian Inostros-Aquino, 29, of Los Angeles, California, conspired to distribute thousands of fentanyl pills in the Quad Cities area. In furtherance of their conspiracy, Inostros-Aquino shipped numerous packages containing controlled substances, including thousands of fentanyl pills, from California to Ross, in Iowa. Law enforcement searched Ross’s residence and located two loaded firearms. Text message evidence showed Ross discussed purchasing a firearm from Inostros-Aquino. Inostros-Aquino was also found in possession of a firearm in May 2022.

On May 6, 2025, Ross received a 108-month prison sentence, followed by a four-year term of supervised release. Inostros-Aquino was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison, followed by a four-year term of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Bettendorf Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, and the Davenport Police Department.

Fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Fentanyl deaths for youth ages 15 to 24 more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. Visit the Drug Enforcement Administration’s website to learn more about the dangers of fentanyl and the One Pill Can Kill program.

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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.