Source: Office of United States Attorneys
DES MOINES, Iowa – A Des Moines man was sentenced today to 17 years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance containing fentanyl.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at trial, in the fall of 2023, Sharmarke Omar Mohamed, 37, was identified as a source of supply of counterfeit fentanyl pills in the Des Moines metro. Police conducted several controlled buys of hundreds of fentanyl pills from him. In early 2024, law enforcement surveilled Mohamed as he traveled to Arizona and quickly returned to Iowa. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of Mohamed’s vehicle and found him in possession of approximately 30,000 counterfeit fentanyl pills.
On September 30, 2024, following a one-day bench trial, a federal judge found Mohamed guilty. At his sentencing, a federal judge found Mohamed obstructed justice by committing perjury at his trial by lying under oath.
After completing his term of imprisonment, Mohamed will be required to serve a 6-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department-Narcotics Division.
Fentanyl has become the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced pills often resemble pharmaceutical pills, but contain potentially lethal doses of fentanyl. In 2023, accidental overdose was the number one cause of death in 37 states for residents under 40 years old. https://stateline.org/2023/09/05/death-rates-for-people-under-40-have-skyrocketed-blame-fentanyl/. In Iowa, opioid-related deaths reached a record high 258 in 2021, up 64% compared with 2019, and decreased 8% in 2022. https://hhs.iowa.gov/media/11935/download.