Waterloo Man Sentenced to Federal Prison on Drug and Gun Charges

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Waterloo man has been sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison after admitting to possessing drugs with intent to distribute while also carrying a firearm.

Darius Caston, 33, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison after pleading guilty on Aug. 28, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

According to court records, Caston was stopped by law enforcement officers on Jan. 1, 2025. During the stop, officers found marijuana, methamphetamine and a stolen, loaded firearm inside Caston’s vehicle. Caston admitted he intended to distribute the drugs found in the car.

Caston also acknowledged that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior felony conviction.

The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand in Cedar Rapids. In addition to the prison term, Caston was sentenced to four years of supervised release following incarceration. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence through coordinated law enforcement efforts and community partnerships. The prosecution also falls under Operation Take Back America, a Department of Justice initiative targeting violent crime, drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal networks.

Caston will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service until he is transferred to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The case file number is 25-CR-56.