Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Mobridge man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that operated in central South Dakota, including the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and took place on August 5, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte.
Eric Traversie, age 28, received a sentence of ten years 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.
Traversie was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025 and pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.
The case involved a drug conspiracy between April 2024 and February 2025 where Traversie and others distributed methamphetamine across central South Dakota and within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. According to authorities, Traversie participated in distributing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. During one traffic stop connected to the investigation, law enforcement seized 237 grams of methamphetamine with a purity level of 99%.
"This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN)."
The investigation included work by the FBI, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and Dewey County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Traversie was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.