Dubuque Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Opioids that Caused Overdose Death

 A man who distributed a deadly cocktail of opioids pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Julius Gene Irvin, age 30, from Dubuque, Iowa, was convicted of one count of distribution of controlled substances near a protected location resulting in death.

At the plea hearing, Irvin admitted that he distributed a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and valeryl fentanyl to another person on May 19, 2019.  That person later used the drugs and was found deceased on May 20, 2019.  Another man, Travis Gordon Jones, previously pled guilty to conspiring to distribute the same drugs that caused the victim’s death, as well as two other deaths.  Jones is awaiting sentencing.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Irvin was taken into custody by the United States Marshal after the guilty plea and will remain in custody pending sentencing.  Irvin faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, and six years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case was investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Chatham.