Wiretap Investigation Leads to Another Waterloo Man Involved in Mexico-Based Drug Trafficking Organization Being Sent to Federal Prison

A Waterloo man involved in a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization was sentenced on January 6, 2023, to 29 years in federal prison. 

Anthony Howard Amundson, age 40, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a June 3, 2022 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.    

Evidence at sentencing showed that, from 2017 to January 2020, Amundson was a member of a Mexico‑based drug trafficking organization that was distributing methamphetamine in the Waterloo, Iowa area.  Amundson was in and out of state custody during that time period; however, when in the community, Amundson distributed several kilograms of methamphetamine imported from Mexico.  Amundson was intercepted on a wiretap communicating directly with the Mexico‑based source of supply.  Amundson exercised a leadership role over another member of the drug trafficking organization. 

Amundson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Amundson was sentenced to 348 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

Amundson is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ashley Corkery and Dillan Edwards.  This case was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program of the United States Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Mid-Iowa Task Force (Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Tama County Sheriff’s Office, Marshalltown Police Department), Iowa National Guard and Counter Drug Program, Tri-County Task Force (Cedar Falls Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office), the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 20-CR-02034.

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