Two men from Des Moines are heading to federal prison after authorities say they spent more than a year pumping deadly fentanyl into the community — even after one of their deals turned fatal.
Ajang Malou Wour and Omar Mohamed Nurani were sentenced on July 11 after investigators linked them to the distribution of tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and several pounds of fentanyl powder — drugs so potent that just a couple of milligrams can be deadly.
According to federal prosecutors, Wour got his start selling fentanyl pills sometime in mid-2023. A few months later, he expanded his operation to include fentanyl powder — and by the time he was caught, he had moved more than 60,000 pills and nearly three pounds of the drug. That’s enough to put thousands of lives at risk.
Nurani wasn’t far behind. Prosecutors say he regularly received pills from Wour, passing them along to other sellers and users. In June 2024, one of those sales ended in tragedy. A customer overdosed and died after taking pills Nurani sold — pills that had come from Wour.
But even after the death, both men kept selling.
By the time the case wrapped up, Nurani was tied to more than 2,000 pills and half a pound of powder.
Wour was sentenced to 12 years in prison with another five years of supervision after release. Nurani received 10 years and will also face supervised release for four years afterward.
