DES MOINES, IA – Two Iowa men have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy that spanned 2023 and 2024.
According to court documents, Shannon D. Robertson, 44, of Chicago and Des Moines, and Earl Sandeleo Galtney, 44, of Cedar Rapids, transported fentanyl from Chicago for distribution in the Des Moines metro area. Law enforcement seized over 75 grams of fentanyl at Robertson’s residence in May 2024, and both men were held responsible for more than 750 grams in total.
Robertson was sentenced on February 20, 2025, to 142 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Galtney received a 125-month prison sentence on March 20, 2025, with the same supervision terms. No parole is available in the federal system.
A third defendant, Ashley Lynn Andrews, 37, of Des Moines, is set for sentencing on July 1, 2025.
The case was investigated by the Des Moines Police Department, the FBI, and the Central Iowa Gang Task Force. Officials warn that fentanyl remains the leading cause of overdose deaths in the U.S., with counterfeit pills posing a major public health risk.
