A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced today (Thursdsay) to a little more than 10-years in prison on  a drug charge. 50-year old Douglas John Howard was sentenced by Chief Judge James E. Gritzner to 121 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Judge Gritzner also ordered Howard to serve a four year term of supervised release following incarceration. Howard pled guilty on February 8, 2013, to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.

The conviction resulted from a joint law enforcement investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs, Iowa, which began with a traffic stop in June of 2012 where Howard was found to be in possession of methamphetamine, digital scales, plastic baggies and drug distribution notes. The investigation identified Howard as a person responsible for regularly distributing methamphetamine in Council Bluffs, along with rural areas in Pottawattamie and Mills Counties in Iowa.

The investigation was conducted by the Carter Lake Police Department, South West Iowa Narcotics Task Force, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.