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Read comments (2)U.S. District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett gave 40-year-old Michael Roth of Spencer the most severe sentence, according to a statement Friday from U.S. Attorney Matt Dummermuth. He was ordered to serve 20 years and eight months in prison. Roth received an enhanced sentence because he possessed firearms as a felon and had the weapons as an unlawful user of controlled substances.
Prosecutors say Roth and the others conspired to possess pseudoephedrine and used the cold medicine ingredient to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine between March 2002 and Aug. 31, 2007.
They would travel to Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota to get around state-imposed limits for cold tablets. They manufactured the methamphetamine in the counties of Clay and O'Brien.
Clay County Sheriff Randy Krukow, in a recent interview said he would like to see instant or real-time tracking of cold medicines so that deputies immediately know who is making the purchase.
"Yes, you have to show your ID and your name is there, but we have to physically go out and check with each pharmacy to see how many pill buys there are," Krukow said, in a September interview.
Most pharmacies already have the technology to track and distribute information about medicine purchases electronically.
"Now it's just a matter of allowing it to happen," through state legislation, according to the sheriff.
All four men entered guilty pleas in September to one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and one count of traveling in interstate commerce to purchase pseudoephedrine in furtherance of of the drug conspiracy.
Roth will have 10 years of supervised release following his 248-month sentence.
Bennett sentenced 44-year-old Douglas Johnson of Primghar to 20 years in prison with 10 years of supervised released. Gary Wilson Jr., 29, of Hartley received a 10-year sentence with with a five-year term of supervised released. Phillip Schurke, 40, of Hull will serve three years in prison with three years of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Fletcher. Sheriff's departments from O'Brien, Clay, Sioux and Dickinson counties participated in the investigation.
Other agencies involved include: the Spencer Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service and a drug task force based in Sioux City.
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I agree with the sentences because meth destroys lives and communities, but im concerned about the double standard in our city. How many tragedies have we faced do to alcohol in the recent years. Alcohol kills more people than all illeagal drugs combined. Every weekend the parking lots at the bars are full. At 2am they are empty.
All of these men are young enough and apparently able bodied enough to have jobs in the economy. It galls me that they're going to be clean, warm and fed on our dime. I know they need to be punished but I wish their punishment didn't include tax dollars supporting them. I wish there was work they could do to better OUR lives.