Coralville woman sentenced to 6 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl pills

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Coralville woman who was convicted of distributing “thousands” of fentanyl pills in Coralville and the surrounding area was sentenced this week to six years in federal prison.

Ashley Crystal Wachs, 36, pleaded guilty Feb. 19 in U.S. District Court to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Wachs admitted, in a plea agreement, she was responsible for transporting “thousands” of fentanyl pills from Seattle, Wash., into Coralville and the surrounding area, where she distributed the drug.

The Johnson County Drug Enforcement Task Force was aware of possible drug distribution involving Wachs’ phone number going back to August 2023, according to court documents. In June 2024, a confidential informant identified a woman named “Ashley,” originally from Washington, who was distributing fentanyl pills in the Iowa City area.

Law enforcement conducted a controlled buy on July 2, 2024 of 20 fentanyl pills from Wachs for $100, according to a court document filed in a detention hearing after Wachs was indicted in 2024. During the investigation in late August 2024, Wachs’ vehicle was captured by license plate readers traveling west through multiple states in the direction of Washington.

On Sept. 4, 2024 Wachs was observed driving on Interstate 80 in Iowa on her way back from Washington, according to the court document. The Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop in Iowa County and found a book bag in the front passenger’s seat and grocery bag on the floorboard that contained multiple bags of fentanyl pills, as well as ice methamphetamine.

Law enforcement seized more than 4,000 pills and about 71 grams of ice meth in the bags. They also found a large quantity of burned tin foil, which a detective testified, during a hearing, as being consistent with smoking fentanyl pills.

According to court documents, Wachs abused fentanyl and had started treatment before her arrest.

Officers also seized two cellphones, which contained messages discussing Wachs going to Washington previously on multiple trips to pick up fentanyl, according to court documents.

Content on the phones established Wachs had traveled to Washington two weeks before the traffic stop but she received fake fentanyl pills that made customers sick, so she returned two weeks later to replace those when she was stopped Sept. 4, 2024.

During an interview with police, Wachs said she had arranged to distribute the pills to three different men that day, according to court documents. She also admitted to distributing illegal narcotics to those three men in the past.

During a search of her mother’s house in Coralville, where Wachs lived in the basement, law enforcement found 200 fentanyl pills, three guns — one which was stolen — five or six cellphones and additional burned foil, court documents stated. Wachs denied knowing the pills were in the basement and said she didn’t own the guns. They belonged to her boyfriend, who she visited in the Washington State Penitentiary before returning to Iowa with the fentanyl.

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

The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Manternach and investigated by the Johnson County Drug Task Force and Iowa State Patrol.

Trish Mehaffey covers state and federal courts for The Gazette

Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com