A Chicago man who allegedly hauled methamphetamine to Iowa on Greyhound buses, sold it to customers, then returned home to restock before making the trip again, has been convicted on federal drug trafficking charges. A jury in Cedar Rapids found 37-year-old Jonathan Quinn Carter guilty of eight counts of distributing methamphetamine and aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine after a three-day trial and about five hours of deliberations.
The case offered jurors a glimpse into what prosecutors described as a simple but lucrative pipeline: Carter would travel from Chicago to eastern Iowa carrying pound quantities of ice methamphetamine, distribute the drugs, then head back to Chicago to replenish his supply before repeating the cycle.
Federal authorities first took notice of Carter in November 2024 when Illinois State Police allegedly found four pounds of ice methamphetamine in a vehicle he occupied during a traffic stop in Grundy County while he was traveling toward Iowa, officials said. Investigators later enlisted a confidential informant in Iowa who made a series of controlled drug purchases from Carter while law enforcement tracked his movements between Chicago, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City last summer…