Mason City Man Sentenced to More Than 25 Years in Federal Prison for Meth and Firearm Convictions
Caught transporting meth and firearms from Iowa to South Dakota
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- Willie York, 47, from Mason City, Iowa, was sentenced on September 18, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City. York pled guilty on May 11, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. York was previously convicted in Cerro Gordo County of the following crimes which prohibit a person from possessing a firearm or ammunition: Terrorism – Intent to Injure or Provoke Fear or Anger, and Robbery-2nd, both in 2000; and Delivery of Methamphetamine in 2015.
Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings showed that from August 2024 through October 2024, York and others conspired to distribute more than two pounds of mixed methamphetamine which contained 50 grams or more of pure methamphetamine. On October 1, 2024, York was a passenger in a vehicle with two others, traffic stopped south of Sioux City, Iowa. Law enforcement found over one pound of pure methamphetamine broken down in various packages, along with two firearms in the vehicle including a fully loaded Beretta 9mm pistol with York. York admitted that he and another transported the methamphetamine from Des Moines, Iowa to Pierre, South Dakota for distribution during two round trips over the course of several days, and that he possessed the firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced York to 322 months’ imprisonment and ordered he serve a 10-year term of supervised release following imprisonment. York remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was investigated by the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office and the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde.
