Rushmore State News

Federal authorities in South Dakota have charged 88 individuals with federal drug offenses following a series of investigations into cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine trafficking. The indictments were announced by U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and stem from coordinated efforts by federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies across the state.

“Drug traffickers who flood our South Dakota communities with illegal narcotics will be met with the full force of federal prosecution,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota is proud to work alongside federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to protect the public by disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations. We will continue to use every legal tool available to ensure drug traffickers face significant sentences in federal prison for endangering our communities and fueling addiction.”

The investigations involved several multi-agency drug task forces operating throughout South Dakota. These include the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force (SFADTF), Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force.

Sixteen of those indicted were arrested during Operation Snowy Ridge, a two-day operation targeting drug trafficking in Western South Dakota.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office highlighted several notable cases prosecuted this year:

- In United States v. Rikki Barrowman, et al., a defendant was sentenced to nearly 23 years for conspiring to distribute 150 pounds of methamphetamine across Pierre, Rapid City, and multiple reservations.

- United States v. Guillermo Calderon, et al., saw a 25-year sentence for distributing methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge Reservation and Rapid City area.

- Following a jury trial in United States v. Curtis Cummings, et al., one defendant received a 30-year sentence for distributing fentanyl resulting in death; co-conspirators received between 20 and 23 years.

- United States v. Nathan Johnson, et al., involved a large-scale methamphetamine conspiracy with lead defendants receiving sentences from 27 to 36 years.

- Other cases resulted in sentences ranging from 2 years up to more than two decades for trafficking significant quantities of controlled substances throughout various regions of the state.

These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations while reducing violent crime through coordinated resources such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).