A Dubuque man has been sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl, which resulted in an overdose. Anthony Frank Ernst, 39, pleaded guilty on July 9, 2024, to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Court hearings revealed that in April 2023, Ernst distributed fentanyl pills to an individual who then passed them on to another person. This third party suffered an overdose after consuming the pills. Shortly after this incident, officers stopped a vehicle with Ernst as a passenger and found him carrying more than 240 fentanyl pills. On June 7, 2023, Ernst sold marijuana and fentanyl to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. Days later, on June 9, officers again stopped a car with Ernst inside and discovered he had controlled substances including fentanyl.

United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Ernst in Cedar Rapids to 94 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. There is no parole available in the federal system.

Ernst remains in the custody of the United States Marshal until his transfer to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated under the Northern Iowa Heroin Initiative and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The investigation involved cooperation between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Lacrosse Wisconsin Drug Task Force, Dubuque Police Department, and Dubuque Sheriff’s Office.