(Sioux City, IA) – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa reports a Carroll man, 52-year-old Paul Diamond Sanchez,was sentenced Monday (March 23, 2026), to 78 months (6 1/2 years) imprisonment. Sanchez pled guilty on November 20, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in federal court in Sioux City.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from July 2024 through May 2025 Sanchez and others distributed at least 35 grams of pure methamphetamine in the Carroll, Iowa area. On two occasions in the summer of 2024, Sanchez distributed a total of over 25 grams of pure methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. During a traffic stop in October 2024, Sanchez had over 9 grams of pure methamphetamine in his pants pocket which he admitted he obtained to sell to another person or persons.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Sanchez to 78 months’ imprisonment, and a term of four years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Sanchez remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Manning Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, and Iowa DCI Laboratory.
