CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A Cedar Rapids man was sentenced to over eight years in federal prison after being found with hundreds of fentanyl pills and firearms.

Deshawn Cooks, 34, pleaded guilty on December 30, 2024, to possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He admitted to having 227 fentanyl pills and 77 ecstasy pills containing methamphetamine, which he planned to distribute locally. Cooks also possessed two Taurus 9mm firearms for protection.

Cooks was sentenced to 102 months in prison by Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Following his prison term, he will serve a five-year supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

The Cedar Rapids Police Department investigated the case, and it was prosecuted by Spec

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