A Chicago man found with more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine was sentenced on Tuesday, October 20, to more than 21 years in federal prison, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said.

Demetrius Stone, age 54, from Chicago, Illinois, received 259 months in prison after a May 8, 2026, guilty plea to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system, and Stone is being held in U.S. Marshals custody until he can be transported to a federal prison, the DEA said.

Evidence at the sentencing hearing showed that on January 7, 2026, officers tried to stop a car Stone was driving in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Stone sped away through a residential area at over twice the posted 25 mph limit, ran a stop sign and nearly struck a city bus, then hit a curb and tried to run before officers apprehended him a short distance away, according to the DEA. Officers found over 11 pounds of ice methamphetamine inside and near the car. Later that evening, a search of Stone's Cedar Rapids apartment found approximately five and a half pounds of ice methamphetamine, approximately eight ounces of cocaine, a loaded gun and approximately $59,000 in cash.

Stone was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. The case was investigated by the DEA Task Force — the DEA, the Linn County Sheriff's Office, the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement — and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep. EIN News, summarising The Gazette's Cedar Rapids coverage, independently reported the same 259-month sentence and the more-than-16-pounds total. Sources: DEA (dea.gov); EIN News / The Gazette.