Man gets federal prison for meth trafficking
Jun. 30—DES MOINES — An Ottumwa man has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison after he was found guilty by a jury of methamphetamine trafficking.
A judge handed down the sentence to Hector Ramon Iglesias Tovar, 35, of Ottumwa, on Wednesday. Authorities said he was involved in trafficking more than 1.5 kilograms (about 3.3 pounds) of methamphetamine in Ottumwa and elsewhere. He had possession of an Anderson AR-15 rifle and a Springfield CD .45-caliber handgun.
Tovar was in the United States without legal permission, according to the Department of Justice. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release once his prison term has concluded.
A jury found Tovar guilty in February 2021 after a two-day trial. He had previously pled guilty but later entered a guilty plea to bring the case to trial.
A co-defendant, David Lemley, of Ottumwa, was sentenced in May to seven years in prison following his guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the Southeast Iowa Inter-Agency Drug Task Force, the Ottumwa Police Department, the Wapello County Sheriff's Office, the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on Twitter @Kyle_Ocker.
