Waterloo Man Sentenced To Over 28 Years In Prison For His Role In Importing Methamphetamine From Mexico To Iowa

 Has a violent criminal history

A Waterloo man, who was involved in the importation and distribution of thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine was sentenced today, July 19, 2021,  to nearly 29 years in federal prison. 

Travis Charles Werkmeister, age 34, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison sentence after a February 8, 2021, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. 

Evidence at the plea and sentencing showed that in 2018, investigators conducted controlled buys of ounce-quantities of methamphetamine from Werkmeister.  The transactions took place at Werkmeister’s Waterloo residence.  In 2019, investigators conducted a wiretap investigation wherein they intercepted thousands of calls and messages between Werkmeister and other members of the drug-distribution organization.  Werkmeister was intercepted discussing methamphetamine shipments with co-conspirators, including the head out of the  organization, who was based out of Mexico.  Werkmeister would receive pound to kilogram quantities of methamphetamine at a time and would redistribute to multiple people in the Waterloo, Iowa, area, who would in turn sell to others.  Werkmeister has a lengthy criminal history, dating back to 2005.  He has at least three felony convictions and three convictions wherein he assaulted one other person. 

Werkmeister was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Werkmeister was sentenced to 346 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term and pay a $100 special assessment fee.  There is no parole in the federal system.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Corkery.  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.