Man pleads guilty to federal charge of selling opioids in Charles City

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

A man from Chicago who formerly lived in Mason City has pleaded guilty to a charge of selling heroin mixed with a synthetic opioid near Charles City schools earlier this year.

Lilshawon Stewart, 22, had his guilty plea accepted Friday, April 20, in U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids, to one count of distribution of heroin, U-47700 and cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school.

He was charged with distributing a substance on Jan. 16 at a residence in the 300 block of 4th Avenue in Charles City, that tested positive for all three drugs. That location is within 1,000 feet of Immaculate Conception Catholic School and the old Charles City Middle School.

He was charged with a second count of allegedly selling the same substance on Jan. 17 at the same location. Both sales were made to undercover law enforcement agents, according to documents filed in Floyd County District Court.

Stewart was arrested on Jan. 28 by the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force and the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement while he was traveling by bus from Chicago to Waterloo. Officers allegedly found substances containing heroin and cocaine in his possession and he was charged with possession to distribute heroin.

The charges from Jan. 17 and Jan. 28 were dropped in return for the guilty plea on the first charge, according to records in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.

Stewart was originally charged with a controlled substance violation in Floyd County District Court, but that charge was dismissed when he was charged in federal court.

U-47700, sometimes known as U4, is a synthetic opioid that was developed in the 1970s. The Drug Enforcement Administration added it to the list of Schedule I drugs in 2016 after it was reported as being involved in dozens of overdose deaths. It has been implicated along with the opioid fentanyl in the overdose death of rock star Prince.

A sentencing date for Stewart has not been set yet.