Leader of Cedar Rapids-area drug ring sentenced to 30 years

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa. (AP) — A 62-year-old Cedar Rapids man who police say was the leader of a drug-trafficking ring has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. George Patrick Ashby was sentenced Friday for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Court documents say he distributed meth and heroin in the Cedar Rapids area from 2018 through March 2020. Ashby told investigators that his meth supply came from Fort Madison, Burlington and another city in Iowa. Two other men who were working with Ashby have been convicted of conspiracy.