Cedar Rapids man sentenced to 4 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Cedar Rapids man who distributed pills containing fentanyl was sentenced Monday to four years in federal prison.

Antonio Clarence Robertson, 33, of Cedar Rapids pleaded in January in U.S. District Court to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

According to evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings, Cedar Rapids police stopped a vehicle Dec. 21, 2023, in which Robertson was a passenger and they saw him hiding something underneath himself. Officers ordered him out of the car, which he refused to do and they had to remove him from the vehicle.

Officers then found an unlabeled pill bottle in his seat, which contained fentanyl pills, according to the plea. Officers searched Robertson and found multiple plastic bags containing additional pills. In total, officers seized 227 pills containing fentanyl during the traffic stop.

Before this traffic stop, officers believed they saw Robertson sell narcotics to another individual. When Robertson met with investigators on Dec. 22, 2023, he admitted to selling fentanyl to another person.

U.S. District Chief Judge C.J. Williams, during sentencing, also ordered Robertson to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hudson and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department.

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