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Audubon County Men Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison on drug charges

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March 29th, 2013 by Ric Hanson

Two Audubon County men were sentenced Monday in U-S District Court to five-years in prison on drug-related charges. The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said today (Friday) 44-year old Paul Joseph Irlmeier, and 63-year old Randy Frank Irlmeier, both from rural Audubon County, were sentenced to 60 months imprisonment for conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. In addition, the Court ordered Randy Frank Irlmeier to forfeit $400,000 and Paul Joseph Irlmeier to forfeit $104,503 for their roles in the conspiracy.

As part of their guilty pleas, the Irlmeiers admitted to conspiring to grow, harvest and distribute marijuana at their respective rural Audubon County residences between approximately 2005 and October 27, 2010. On October 27, 2010, law enforcement located evidence of a sizable marijuana growing operation, including a large quantity of mature marijuana plants at Randy Irlmeier’s residence. Both defendants admitted responsibility for at least 100 marijuana plants during the conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement and the
Audubon County Sheriff’s Office, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.