COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports three men, two from Texas, and one from Washington State, were sentenced Friday, August 27, 2021, to 120 months in prison. The sentences were handed-down in Council Bluffs U-S District Court. Hieu Minh Le was sentenced to 120 months for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and was found to be an organizer or leader of the conspiracy. Tu Anh Nguyen and Sanh Binh Tran were both sentenced to 60 months for Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and 60 months to be served consecutively for Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking. According to court documents, Le, Nguyen, and Tran were found guilty by a jury on April 1, 2021. Their prison terms will be followed by four years of supervised release.

An Iowa State Patrol Trooper stopped Nguyen and Tran, who were driving a truck and trailer registered in Washington, on December 21, 2018, to perform a Commercial Motor Vehicle regulatory inspection. The trooper noticed numerous irregularities with the commercial motor vehicle paperwork, safety equipment, and lack of conformity with commercial motor vehicle
industry standards. The trooper also detected an odor of bleach in the trailer and the load was not properly secured. A Council Bluffs Police canine officer and police service dog arrived for a free air sniff. An Iowa Department of Transportation sergeant also assisted with the commercial motor vehicle inspection. The police service dog alerted and indicated to the odor of illegal drugs and the truck and trailer were searched. The officers located 470 pounds of marijuana, numerous boxes containing cartridges of THC oil, and a firearm.