COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on March 7, 2019, Andrew Joseph Nielsen, age 30, was sentenced by United States Senior District Court Judge Robert W. Pratt for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm During a Drug Trafficking Crime. Nielsen was sentenced to 180 months in prison to be followed by a term of supervised release for five years.

In April 2018, Nielsen was stopped by a Shelby County Deputy for speeding after trying to elude the deputy. In a search subsequent to the stop, methamphetamine and marijuana were found on Nielsen, along with baggies and scale in the vehicle. After further investigation, Shelby County Deputies and the fire department executed a controlled burn in the area of the stop and located a Phoenix Arms HP22 and a magazine with four rounds in it.

The case was investigated by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.