DES MOINES, Iowa – Ten individuals from Des Moines were sentenced to federal prison following their pleas to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to public court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, between March 2025 and September 11, 2025, the charged defendants obtained and distributed methamphetamine within Des Moines and elsewhere. The more than six-month investigation included controlled purchases of methamphetamine and concluded with the execution of more than 50 search warrants on September 11, 2025.
The defendants involved in this conspiracy include:Cole Anthony Langford, 42, sentenced to a 30-year prison term, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release;Kenneth Donald Stockman, 44, sentenced to a 12-year prison term, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release;Joshua Andrew Rankin, 38, sentenced to a 200-month prison term, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release;James “Jimmy” Stephen Waters Jr., 61, sentenced to a 78‑month prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release;Todd Allen Miller Jr., 32, sentenced to a 20-year prison term, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release;Samantha Sue Baldridge, 34, sentenced to a six-year prison term, followed by a four-year term of supervised release;Simon Anaya Sanchez, 50, sentenced to a 190-month prison term, followed by a six-year term of supervised release;Jason Lee Baxter-Blakely, 38, sentenced to a 100-month prison term, followed by a three-year term of supervised release;Jessica Renae Gleason, 43, sentenced to a 25-year prison term, followed by a 10-year term of supervised release; andSara Ann Bowers, 40, of Des Moines, sentenced to a 10-year prison term, followed by a 5-year term of supervised release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
At the time they conspired to distribute methamphetamine:Langford was on absconder status for state eluding and drug trafficking offenses, following his parole from state custody after serving less than one year of his sentences.
Rankin was on absconder status for two state drug trafficking offenses.
Miller was on parole for three state drug trafficking offenses.
Sanchez had a prior federal drug conviction from the Southern District of Iowa and had been discharged from supervised release in 2021.
Gleason was on parole for a state drug trafficking offense.
United States Attorney David C. Waterman of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Des Moines Police Department, and Iowa Department of Public Safety, Division of Narcotics Enforcement, with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center, Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, Marshalltown Police Department, Mid-Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force, Tri-County Drug Task Force, and dozens of others.