COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced Tuesday, December 14, in United States District Court, to 15-months in prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. According to court documents, 42-year-old Matthew Michael Loth plead guilty to the methamphetamine and firearm offenses in July of 2021.

Authorities say that on March 4, 2021, Loth was parked at a gas station and law enforcement stopped to talk to him after noticing the car did not have a front license plate. Communications advised the officers Loth had a warrant for his arrest for a violation of supervised release. A trained and certified narcotics-sniffing dog alerted and indicated to the odor of a controlled substance in Loth’s vehicle and police searched the car. A firearm with a loaded magazine and 109 grams of  methamphetamine were located.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Council Bluffs Police Department, Douglas County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.