A Judge in Pottawattamie County has sentenced a Council Bluffs man to five-years in prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises. 27-year old Justin Ray Smith was also ordered Thursday, to serve a two-year term of supervised release following his incarceration. On Feb. 8th, Smith pled guilty to the charge, which was the result of an investigation conducted by several law enforcement agencies into the importation and distribution of marijuana by a known drug trafficking group operating in the Council Bluffs and Omaha areas.

Marijuana was distributed by the group from May, 2009 through March, 2012. Smith maintained a residence on Monument Road in Council Bluffs, as a storage location and distribution point for the drug trafficking organization. Prior to sentencing Smith, Chief Judge James Gritzner sentenced Smith’s five co-defendants.

The following were sentenced earlier this year to terms in prison for conspiracy to distribute marijuana:

30-year old Christopher Brandt of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to 36-months in prison; 40-year old David L. Lopez, Jr, of Omaha, was sentenced to 48-months in prison and 26-year old Nicholas Barnes, of Council Bluffs was sentenced to 48-month.

28-year old Dennis Smith, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to 84-months in prison for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and money laundering. And, 29-year old Gene Smith, of Council Bluffs, was sentenced to 41-months in prison for maintaining a drug-involved premises.

The investigation was conducted by seven law enforcement agencies and prosecuted by the U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.