Monday, August 17, 2026

A man who illegally possessed cocaine was sentenced today to 18 months in federal prison.

Marcus Allen Thomas, age 37, from Asbury, Iowa, received the prison term after a February 18, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

In a plea agreement, Thomas admitted he possessed cocaine that he intended to distribute.  On April 12, 2025, investigators searched Thomas’s home in Asbury.  Investigators found approximately 6.14 pounds of marijuana and approximately 101.56 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine in the basement bathroom.  

Thomas was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Thomas was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment and fined $5,500.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Thomas is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated by the Dubuque Drug Task Force, Dubuque County Sheriff’s Office, Dubuque Police Department, Asbury Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.  

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