Sioux City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for 30 Years for Meth Convictions

Shelton Lapointe, age 36, from Sioux City, Iowa, was sentenced on October 6, 2026, to 360 months' imprisonment. Lapointe was convicted by a jury on April 29, 2026, on one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting another to do so. Lapointe had prior convictions in Woodbury County District Court for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine, in 2018 and again in 2022, serving time in state prison after each conviction.

The evidence at trial showed that on July 17, 2024, law enforcement agents were conducting surveillance at WinnaVegas Casino. They saw a car traveling away from the casino while driving over the speed limit. The agents attempted to stop the car. The car then took off at speeds ranging from 100 to 140 mph. During the flight, two packages of methamphetamine and one of marijuana were thrown out of the car. Law enforcement officers found and seized approximately ½ pound of methamphetamine and several ounces of marijuana in the packages. Lapointe, who was driving the car, handed his co-conspirator the drugs and instructed him to throw it out the window in an attempt to avoid getting caught with the drugs in their possession. Lapointe conspired with at least five other people to traffic methamphetamine from about 2022 through July 2024.

United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Lapointe to 360 months' imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Lapointe remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the DEA Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff's Office; South Sioux City Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney's Office.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 24-4078.

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