Cherokee, IA (KICD) — A local man and two women from California have been sentenced for their part in a drug distribution ring in Northwest Iowa. 38 year old Jason Werner of Cherokee, and 41 year old Andrea Romo and 62 year old Lauretta Payce of California, all pled guilty in federal court back in June.
The three admitted to being part of a network that transporting illegal substances from California to the state of Nevada, and then to Cherokee – often in a hidden compartment in an automobile. All three said they helped smuggle a pound to a pound and a half of pot, and four pounds of meth to the region.
Romo received the heaviest sentence from Judge Leonard T. Strand this week: Twenty years in federal prison. Payce was sentenced to five years and two months, and Werner was sentenced to two years and four months at a federal facility. All three remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshall’s office until they find out where they will serve.
The investigation involved federal and state officials and the Cherokee Police Department.