A Des Moines resident, Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl. This decision was made following a one-day bench trial where Mohamed was found guilty by a federal judge on September 30, 2024.
Public court documents and evidence presented during the trial indicated that Mohamed, aged 37, was identified as a supplier of counterfeit fentanyl pills in the Des Moines area during the fall of 2023. Law enforcement officials conducted several controlled purchases of hundreds of these pills from him. In early 2024, surveillance revealed Mohamed's travel to Arizona and his swift return to Iowa. During a traffic stop upon his return, authorities discovered approximately 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills in his vehicle.
At sentencing, it was determined that Mohamed had obstructed justice by committing perjury during his trial by lying under oath. After serving his prison term, he will be subject to six years of supervised release as there is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentencing. The investigation into this case was carried out by the Des Moines Police Department-Narcotics Division.
Fentanyl remains a significant concern across the United States as it leads drug overdose deaths nationwide. Counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl often mimic pharmaceutical drugs but can contain deadly doses of the substance. In 2023, accidental overdoses were reported as the leading cause of death for individuals under 40 in 37 states. In Iowa specifically, opioid-related fatalities reached an all-time high with 258 deaths recorded in 2021 before seeing an eight percent decrease in 2022.
