Webster City man sent to federal prison after a wiretap investigation.

A 44 year old Webster City man was sentenced this week after a federal wiretap caught him arranging to acquire methamphetamine over the phone. Gabriel Allen Pelz was sentenced November 29  to more than 15 years in federal prison in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Judge C.J. Williams. Pelz pleaded guility on May 18 to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of use of a communication facility to commit a felony drug crime. According to federal court authorities, Pelz ordered a pound of ice methamphetamine from a man he met in state prison. The man is identified as Andrew Surprenant. Surprenant had previously admitted he was involved with a Mexico based drug trafficking organization. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison on October 21. Pelz met Surprenant while they were both incarcerated in state prison. Pelz was released from state custody a year ago in December,2021.The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that last January, Pelz contacted Surprenant and arranged to acquire a pound of ice methamphetamine. At the time law enforcement was monitoring a wiretap on Surprenant’s residence and watched Pelz arrived  there. After Pelz left , he was stopped by officers who recovered a pound of ice methamphetamine from him. He later admitted that he got the ice methamphetamine from Surprenant and intended to distribute it in the Webster City area. Pelz was sentenced to 188 months in prison  which is slightly more than 15 and a half years. He will also served a six year term of supervised release after his release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system. Pelz is being held in the United State Marshal’s custody until he can be transported  to a federal prison facility. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and was investigated as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force,which is a program of the U.S.Department of Justice through a cooperative effort of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and several area law enforcement agencies.