A Coralville woman has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison following her guilty plea to a drug trafficking charge. Ashley Crystal Wachs, 36, admitted responsibility for transporting thousands of fentanyl pills from Seattle, Washington, into Coralville and nearby areas, where she distributed them.
According to court records, law enforcement officers stopped Wachs’ vehicle on September 4, 2024. During the traffic stop conducted by the Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Drug Task Force, officers seized over 250 grams of fentanyl, nearly 110 grams of flurofentanyl, and about 72 grams of methamphetamine. Wachs acknowledged during her plea hearing that she intended to distribute most of these substances.
Wachs was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams in Cedar Rapids. She received a sentence of 72 months’ imprisonment and will be required to serve a three-year term of supervised release after completing her prison sentence. There is no possibility of parole in the federal system.
Wachs remains in the custody of the United States Marshal while awaiting transfer to a federal prison facility.
Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach prosecuted the case. The investigation was carried out by the Johnson County Drug Task Force and Iowa State Patrol.
“Ashley Crystal Wachs…was responsible for the transportation of thousands of fentanyl pills from Seattle, Washington, into Coralville and the surrounding areas, where she distributed the fentanyl pills,” according to information established at her guilty plea.
