United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person was sentenced on Sept. 20, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Cody Spotted Tail, age 34, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.
Spotted Tail was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 11, 2018. He pled guilty on July 2, 2019.
The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy that occurred beginning no later than Oct. 15, 2018, and continuing to Nov. 2, 2018, in which Spotted Tail knowingly and intentionally conspired with his co-defendants to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, in the District of South Dakota. Further, Spotted Tail was an unlawful user of and addicted to a controlled substance, which prohibited him from possessing firearms, and he was in possession of a firearm at the time of his arrest. At the time of his arrest, law enforcement recovered 256 grams of methamphetamine, scales, baggies, and other drug trafficking items.
Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity. Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers. It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.
Spotted Tail was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
