Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A California man has admitted to conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in Dubuque, Iowa. Juan Jose Ruiz, aged 29, pleaded guilty in federal court in Cedar Rapids, acknowledging his involvement with distributing substantial quantities of methamphetamine in 2021.
Ruiz's plea agreement revealed that from January through December 2021, he collaborated with others to distribute the drug. On December 14, 2021, law enforcement officers stopped Ruiz in Clear Creek County, Colorado, as he was on his way to Dubuque. The officers discovered over 25 pounds of ice methamphetamine in his vehicle, which he intended to distribute to an accomplice in Dubuque.
He is awaiting sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams, which will occur after a presentence report is completed. Ruiz is currently held by the United States Marshal. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, with a potential maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, a fine of up to $10 million, and lifetime supervised release after imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Devra T. Hake is prosecuting the case. The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff's Office, Dubuque Police Department, Quad City Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory.
