Detroit man accused of trafficking heroin into north-central Iowa indicted in federal court
CHARLES CITY — Federal charges have now been filed against a Detroit man accused of trafficking heroin into north-central Iowa.
Authorities say 50-year-old Keith Tucker was stopped for a traffic violation on New Year’s Eve near the 212 mile marker of US Highway 218 near Charles City. Law enforcement alleges that they found a brown, powdery substance about the size of a softball that tested positive for heroin. A loaded handgun was also found on the passenger seat of the vehicle. Court documents say Tucker admitted he was transporting heroin from Detroit to Mason City. Authorities also allegedly discovered marijuana tucked into Tucker’s sock when he was booked into the Floyd County Jail.
Tucker was facing state-level heroin dealing charges, but he’s now been indicted in US District Court for the Northern District of Iowa for conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin, possession with the intent to distribute heroin, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm as a drug user.
Online court records show Tucker filed a written plea of not guilty to the state-level charges in Floyd County District Court on Tuesday, but with the federal indictment, the Floyd County Sheriff’s Department says those charges will likely be dropped.