Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A man from Waterloo, Iowa, has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for drug and firearm offenses. Darius Caston, 33, received the sentence after pleading guilty on August 28, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, law enforcement officers stopped Caston on January 1, 2025. During the stop, officers found marijuana, methamphetamine, and a stolen loaded gun in his car. Caston admitted he intended to distribute the drugs and acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand handed down the sentence in Cedar Rapids. Caston was ordered to serve 100 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release. There is no parole available in the federal system.
"This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results," according to information provided about PSN.
The prosecution noted that this case also falls under Operation Take Back America. The initiative aims to use resources from the Department of Justice against illegal immigration as well as criminal organizations involved in violent crime.
Caston remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he is transferred to federal prison.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
