Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Pine Ridge man and a Rapid City woman have been sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell confirmed that District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentences to Tyler Eagle Elk and Larissa Ross for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Eagle Elk, aged 38, received a sentence of two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Meanwhile, Ross, aged 39, was sentenced to one year and eight months in federal prison with four years of supervised release, along with the same $100 special assessment.
The pair were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024. Eagle Elk entered his guilty plea on March 7, 2024, while Ross pleaded guilty on February 7, 2025.
Their activities involved distributing cocaine within the Rapid City area. Authorities were alerted when a postal inspector intercepted a package containing about half a pound of cocaine addressed to their residence. Over the course of their operation, they distributed more than a kilogram of cocaine.
The investigation was conducted by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Division of Criminal Investigation. UNET includes personnel from various law enforcement agencies such as the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges led the prosecution.
Following their sentencing, both Eagle Elk and Ross were placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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