Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A 35-year-old man from Sioux City, Pablo Elias-Lopez, has been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison following his guilty plea on July 2, 2025. He admitted to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute after a previous conviction for a serious drug felony.
According to evidence presented in the case, Elias-Lopez was first stopped by police on December 11, 2024. During this traffic stop, officers found him carrying a Taurus .44 revolver, a Sig Sauer P320 9mm pistol, ammunition, about 225 grams of methamphetamine, and more than $10,000 in cash. On January 11, 2025, he was stopped again but fled law enforcement. Police pursued and stopped his vehicle; they then discovered a bag containing $27,005 and an additional $600 in his wallet.
On March 21, 2025, as officers attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Elias-Lopez, he fled once more—this time ramming into a police vehicle and colliding head-on with another individual during the pursuit. He sped through neighborhoods before abandoning his car in a wooded area and fleeing on foot. Officers apprehended him nearby and found him with another 112 grams of methamphetamine and over $2,200 in cash.
Elias-Lopez’s criminal record includes several offenses such as possession with intent to deliver controlled substances and eluding law enforcement.
He received his sentence from United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand: "204 months’ imprisonment." In addition to the prison term, Elias-Lopez will serve ten years of supervised release after completing his sentence. The federal system does not allow parole.
Currently held by the United States Marshal’s Service pending transfer to federal prison, Elias-Lopez’s case involved investigations by the Sioux City Police Department (Iowa), Woodbury County Sheriff’s Department, and Sgt. Bluff Police Department (Iowa). Assistant United States Attorney Forde Fairchild is prosecuting the case.
