Hunter
02/05/23
A California man who trafficked hundreds of pounds of meth to Iowa over the course of several years was convicted this week.
The Gazette reports that 37-year-old David Poitier Belton of Compton California pleaded to one count of conspiracy to distribute meth and one count of being a felon and drug user in possession of a firearm in federal court Wednesday.
Belton, also known as “Blood,” was accused of moving 30-to-60 pound shipments of ice meth between Los Angeles and Cedar Rapids between 2017 and March 2022.
Belton typically had the drugs shipped in a vehicle that contained a specially made hidden compartment. Once in Cedar Rapids, he or an associate would distribute the meth to other members of the trafficking ring to sell on the streets.
Shipments were intercepted in February 2022 from a courier in Nebraska driving a rental truck, and from a relative of Belton’s who tried to smuggle it on a flight from LA to Cedar Rapids.
U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams will set sentencing at a later date. Belton faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life, a $10 million fine and lifetime supervised release.
A total of 11 people were charged in the operation. They have all taken plea deals and await sentencing.