Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Denver woman has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota, including the Rapid City area and the Pine Ridge Reservation. The sentencing of Shelina Martinez, 34, was announced by U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell after District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on August 8, 2025.
Martinez will also serve five years of supervised release following her prison term and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
She was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 on charges of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025.
According to court records, from January 2022 through February 2024, Martinez participated in transporting large amounts of methamphetamine from Denver to South Dakota. She assisted with moving these drugs into areas including Rapid City and within the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The investigation involved several law enforcement agencies: the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Martinez was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
