Wiretap of heroin and fentanyl distributors land Vinton man in federal prison

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - A man who conspired to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and other synthetic opioids, was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison on Thursday.

According to a plea agreement, 39-year-old Ryan Schlitter admitted that he obtained distribution quantities of heroin through a group of heroin dealers based out of Cedar Rapids. Investigators found intercepted calls between one of the dealers and an associate of Schlitter’s during a federal wiretap investigation in 2021.

Documents say Schlitter and his associate drove to meet with the dealer, where the associate purchased seven grams of a substance containing heroin, fentanyl, and the synthetic opioids acetyl fentanyl, para‑fluorofentanyl, and metonitazene.

Officers stopped the vehicle and seized the drugs. Schlitter admitted to the possession, the intent to distribute to others, and previously selling $200 worth of a substance containing heroin, acetyl fentanyl, and fentanyl.

Schlitter was sentenced to 46 months imprisonment and must serve a three-year term of supervised release after the program.