Fort Dodge Man Given Lengthy Prison Sentence For Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Johnson, previously convicted of drug and violent offenses, was arrested with more than 4 pounds of meth

A Fort Dodge man was sentenced June 23, 2020 to more than 24 years in federal prison.

Demetrius Johnson, age 34, from Fort Dodge, IA, received the prison term after a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of firearms by a prohibited person.

In a plea agreement, Johnson admitted he was distributing methamphetamine from the fall of 2017 to on or about August 2019.  In December 2019, Johnson sold methamphetamine on two separate occasions in Mason City, Iowa.  On January 15, 2018, law enforcement searched Johnson’s Mason City storage locker and apartment where they seized methamphetamine, large quantities of marijuana, and three handguns, one of which was loaded.  Johnson left Mason City and moved to Fort Dodge where Johnson was hiding from law enforcement pending his parole violation for another drug dealing offense.  On August 1, 2019, Johnson was found in Fort Dodge.  At the time of his arrest, law enforcement noticed a strong odor of marijuana which led them to search his residence finding approximately 4.5 pounds of pure methamphetamine, as well as another handgun.   

During the course of his drug dealing, defendant used other people to sell drugs for him and maintained an apartment for the purpose of drug dealing.  Johnson has three prior felony drug convictions and multiple convictions for violent offenses.   

Johnson was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Jonson was sentenced to 292 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and 120 months for possession of firearms by a prohibited person to run concurrently.  He must also serve a 10-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).  PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jack Lammers and investigated by the North Central Iowa Drug Task Force, the Cerro Gordo Sheriff’s Office, the Mason City Police Department, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Fort Dodge Police Force, and the Webster County Sheriff’s Office.