Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A woman involved in distributing methamphetamine has been sentenced to over 24 years in federal prison. Candace Sue Thein, aged 42 from Dike, Iowa, was sentenced on March 17, 2025, following her guilty plea on October 3, 2024. She pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
Evidence presented at the sentencing revealed that between December 2023 and May 22, 2024, Thein collaborated with others to receive numerous packages of ice methamphetamine and marijuana from a supplier in California. The group obtained over 50 pounds of methamphetamine which they redistributed across several locations in Iowa including Waterloo, Dike, Reinbeck, and Hudson. Law enforcement searched various residences linked to the operation on May 22, 2024. On June 15, 2024, Thein and two accomplices confronted one of her drug customers for money; during this incident, threats were made against the customer’s life and Thein stole his cellphone.
The sentence was delivered by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. Thein received a prison term of 292 months followed by three years of supervised release without parole eligibility in the federal system. She remains in custody under the United States Marshal's care pending transfer to a federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards prosecuted the case. Investigations were conducted by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Postal Service; Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force involving several local police departments; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force; Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; Iowa State Patrol; and Santa Ana Police Department in California.
