COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Council Bluffs man was sentenced April 16, 2024, to 240 months in prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, and 180 months for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, to be served concurrently.

According to public court documents, 47-year-old Virgil Rude McIntosh, III, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Between December and July 2023, McIntosh was involved in a drug conspiracy credited for the distribution of over 30 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Council Bluffs metro area. Officers conducted a search warrant of McIntosh’s residence and seized methamphetamine and a loaded Sig Saur 9 mm handgun.

After completing his term of imprisonment, McIntosh will be required to serve ten years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Task Force, the Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Omaha Police Department, and the Council Bluffs Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.