John A. Soung, a 48-year-old resident of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley and will be followed by five years of supervised release. Soung pleaded guilty to the charge on June 5, 2025.
The case began in July 2024 when investigators received information from a confidential source about a large quantity of methamphetamine stored in an Eau Claire storage unit. After obtaining a search warrant, authorities found approximately six pounds of methamphetamine inside a backpack within the unit. Records indicated that Soung had rented the storage space, and he later admitted using it to store drugs for distribution in the Eau Claire area.
Soung was arrested on July 12, 2024, during a traffic stop. Officers discovered a 9mm handgun in his vehicle, which Soung acknowledged was his property. Due to previous felony convictions, Soung is prohibited from possessing firearms.
In issuing the sentence, Judge Conley stated that this case marked a “great escalation” in Soung’s history of methamphetamine dealing and noted that Soung was illegally carrying a firearm while distributing drugs.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the West Central Drug Task Force, Eau Claire Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, Clark County Sheriff’s Department, and assistance from the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force. This task force includes federal agents from ATF as well as state and local officers throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
According to Acting United States Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma for the Western District of Wisconsin: “Federal criminal cases involving drugs and firearms are 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).”
