Charter Oak Man Pleads Guilty to Meth Conspiracy

Wayne Johnson, 43, from Charter Oak, Iowa, pled guilty on November 5, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and one count of distribution and aiding and abetting another in the distribution of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location.

At the plea hearing, Johnson admitted that from September 2024 through April 2026 he was involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 2,500 grams of methamphetamine in the Charter Oak and Crawford County, Iowa areas. On two occasions in January and February 2026, Johnson and another distributed and aided and abetted each other in the distribution of methamphetamine to an individual cooperating with law enforcement. Both of these transactions occurred within 1,000 feet of Charter Oak-Ute Community School in Charter Oak, Iowa.

Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Johnson remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Johnson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $20,000,000 fine, and at least eight years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Carroll County Sheriff's Office, Iowa State Patrol, and the Iowa DCI Laboratory.

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 26-4016. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.