COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – On April 19, 2021, United States District Court Chief Judge John A. Jarvey sentenced D’Ante Decarl Dirks, age 26, of Kansas City, Missouri, to 132 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine, carrying a firearm in relation to drug trafficking and knowingly in possession of a firearm as a felon announced Acting United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal. Dirks was ordered to serve four years of supervised release to follow his prison term and pay $300 to the Crime Victims’ Fund. There is no parole in the federal system.
On July 7, 2020, the Iowa State Patrol conducted a traffic stop on a car driven by Dirks. As the Trooper attempted to issue a citation, Dirks sped off. In an effort to elude law enforcement, Dirks drove in excess of 100 mph, drove into oncoming traffic, and passed on the shoulder of the highway until he was forced into a ditch in rural Mills County. Dirks ran from the scene and threw a loaded handgun into a nearby cornfield.
A search of the car Dirks was driving located marijuana, synthetic marijuana, powder cocaine and cocaine base (crack cocaine). Further investigation revealed Dirks intended to sell the drugs found in the car. Dirks pleaded guilty on December 4, 2020, to the gun and drug charges.
This investigation was conducted by the Iowa State Patrol, Mills County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.