COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum announced on April 24, 2019, Michael Anthony Santistevan, age 31, was sentenced by United States District Court Senior Judge James E. Gritzner for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. Santistevan was sentenced to 235 months in prison, to be followed by a term of supervised release of five years.

On May 21, 2018, Santistevan was stopped by a Pottawattamie County Deputy for speeding on Interstate 80. Santistevan was the sole occupant of the rental vehicle. The car rental company was contacted and the return vehicle was overdue and Santistevan was not the renter nor an authorized driver.

The deputy issued Santistevan a traffic citation for speeding and requested permission to search the vehicle. During the search, a certified narcotics canine was utilized for a and the canine alerted and indicated to the odor of narcotics on the rear of the vehicle. Deputies located fifteen pounds of methamphetamine inside a tire in the vehicle.

This matter was investigated by the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department and Council Bluffs Police Department. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.
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