A Delaware County man is sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for going out of the country to get the ingredients to make meth. Forty-two-year-old Roger Hettinger of Manchester pleaded guilty in May to importation of pseudoepherine, possession of illegal silencers and possession of … [Read more...]
Dubuque man sentenced for making meth near school
A man who caught his Dubuque residence on fire while trying to make methamphetamine will spend nearly 20 years in prison. Forty-seven-year-old Cory Cole admitted to cooking meth at his house on May 30th of 2013 and said the meth lab caught the house on fire. Two other people who were not involved … [Read more...]
Washington County man and woman sentenced to prison on drug charge
Two people have been sentenced to prison for their roles in distributing methamphetamine in Washington County. Forty-six-year-old Kurt Brookhart was sentenced to just over nine years in prison and 30-year-old Nahida Bucheit was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for conspiracy to distribute … [Read more...]
Men from Boone and Sioux City face prison time on meth charges
Three men are facing prison time in two cases involving the distribution of methamphetamine. Robert Skarin and William Meisner, who are both 53 and from Sioux City, pled guilty to a charge of conspiracy to deliver meth. Both men admitted to traveling to Omaha, Nebraska to buy meth to bring back … [Read more...]
Methamphetamine makes a comeback with new baking methods
While prescription drug abuse is a growing problem in the state, a do-it-yourself drug is seeing a resurgence according to the latest report from the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy. O.D.C.P. spokesman, Dale Woolery, says methamphetamine was never wiped out -- but there was progress. He … [Read more...]
Dangerous “Shake and Bake” meth making now more prevalent
Law enforcement officers in Iowa are finding meth cooks who are using a new, more dangerous method of making the illegal drug. Gary Kendell, Director of the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy, says the "one-pot" or "shake and bake" method of manufacturing meth is carried out with the use … [Read more...]
Meth lab explosion leaves several homeless in Des Moines
A weekend explosion and fire left as many as 100 people homeless in Des Moines. The blast and blaze destroyed an entire apartment building at Willow Park Apartments on Saturday afternoon, gutting some 30 units. Des Moines police suspect the explosion was sparked by two men who were cooking … [Read more...]
Iowa drug czar says don’t make pseudoephedrine “prescription only”
Iowa Drug Control Policy Coordinator Gary Kendell is urging lawmakers to resist making pseudoephedrine a prescription only medication. The drug is a key ingredient in the production of methamphetamine. Kendell was in Washington, D.C. Tuesday and testified before the Senate Drug Caucus. He … [Read more...]
Meth use falls, but meth lab busts are up
The use of methamphetamine is falling in Iowa when compared to cocaine, but the number of meth lab busts is again on the rise. Brad Thompson, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, says, "Methamphetamine is definitely down a little bit compared to cocaine but at the … [Read more...]
Meth bill passes U.S. Senate
A bill that offers new crackdowns on the illegal drug methamphetamine passed the U.S. Senate unanimously last night and heads to the House. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who co-chairs the Senate International Narcotics Control Caucus, co-sponsored the legislation. Grassley says, "What … [Read more...]