A man from Chicago, Illinois, has been sentenced to over two years in federal prison for selling heroin and cocaine near Loras College in 2017 and 2018. Willie Smith, aged 27, received the sentence following his guilty plea on September 25, 2024. He admitted to conspiring with others to distribute cocaine and heroin within 1000 feet of the college.
Smith was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. He will serve a 33-month imprisonment followed by a six-year supervised release term. Federal sentencing does not allow for parole.
Currently, Smith is held in the custody of the United States Marshal until he is transported to a federal prison.
The prosecution was led by Assistant United States Attorneys Patrick J. Reinert and Nicole Nagin. The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program under the United States Department of Justice. It involved collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Dubuque Drug Task Force which includes members from the Dubuque Police Department and Dubuque Sheriff’s Office.