A man from Dubuque, Iowa, has been sentenced to 37 years in federal prison after being found guilty of distributing heroin and fentanyl that led to two overdose deaths in Marion in 2023. Cody Kinzie Dittmar, age 34, was convicted by a jury on June 25, 2025, for distributing and conspiring to distribute the drugs.
According to court records, Dittmar had previously served a sentence of 64 months for a 2017 conviction related to firearm possession as a felon. After his release on supervised federal release in June 2023, evidence presented at trial showed he began selling heroin and fentanyl with his then-girlfriend and later wife, Alysha (Gould) Dittmar.
On July 1, 2023, the couple sold a mixture containing heroin, fentanyl, and xylazine to a customer in Marion. Both the customer and his wife used the drugs soon after purchasing them and died from overdoses. The Dittmars continued their drug sales in Cedar Rapids until July 2024. Alysha Dittmar has already pleaded guilty to distribution charges resulting in the two deaths.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Cody Dittmar in Cedar Rapids. “Dittmar was sentenced to 420 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term,” according to court documents. Because he committed these crimes while serving supervised release for his previous conviction, he received an additional two years of consecutive imprisonment due to revocation of that release. There is no parole available under federal law.
Dittmar is currently held by the United States Marshal’s Service until he can be transferred to federal prison.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Marion Police Department; Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Linn County Sheriff’s Office; Cedar Rapids Police Department; and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Nagin and Dan Chatham prosecuted the case.
