Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A man from Reinbeck, Iowa, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. Austin David Hansen, aged 39, received the sentence on June 23, 2025, following his guilty plea on December 23, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. This comes after a previous conviction for a serious drug felony.
The case details revealed that between December 2023 and May 22, 2024, Hansen collaborated with a California source he met in federal prison. They shipped methamphetamine and marijuana to post office boxes in Reinbeck, Dike, and Waterloo, Iowa. Once the packages arrived in Iowa, Hansen worked with others to distribute the drugs locally. In return, he sent over $260,000 of drug proceeds back to California.
Law enforcement seized a package containing over 5,000 grams of methamphetamine during their investigation. On May 22, 2024, officers executed search warrants at various locations including Hansen's residence where they found over 600 grams of methamphetamine along with other evidence such as a firearm and more than $12,000 in cash.
Hansen was previously convicted of federal drug trafficking in November 2011. His current sentence was handed down by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. Alongside his prison term of 240 months' imprisonment, Hansen is required to serve a ten-year supervised release period afterward. There is no parole available under the federal system.
Currently held in United States Marshal’s custody pending transfer to a federal prison facility, Hansen's case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the United States Postal Service; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Mid-Iowa Drug Task Force; Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; Iowa State Patrol; and Santa Ana Police Department.
