Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Federal authorities in South Dakota have indicted 88 individuals on federal drug charges between April and August 2025, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. The indictments are the result of coordinated investigations by federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies, many of which operate through multi-agency drug task forces 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 leading to these indictments involved several task forces: 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. These groups include members from agencies such as the Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Indian Affairs-Division of Drug Enforcement (BIA-DDE), Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety (OSTDPS), Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, Hughes County Sheriff’s Office, Tripp County Sheriff’s Office, Ziebach County Sheriff’s Office, Mobridge Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol (SDHP), and South Dakota National Guard (SDNG).
Sixteen of those indicted were arrested during Operation Snowy Ridge—a two-day operation targeting drug trafficking in Western South Dakota.
Recent cases highlighted by the U.S. Attorney's Office show substantial sentences for those convicted:
- In United States v. Rikki Barrowman et al., a defendant was sentenced to nearly 23 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy involving 150 pounds of methamphetamine.
- United States v. Guillermo Calderon et al., resulted in a 25-year sentence for distributing methamphetamine within Pine Ridge Reservation and Rapid City.
- In United States v. Curtis Cummings et al., following a conviction for distributing fentanyl resulting in death, one defendant received a 30-year sentence while co-conspirators received between 20–23 years.
- United States v. Nathan Johnson et al., one of the largest meth conspiracies in state history involving 24 defendants led to sentences ranging from 27–36 years.
- Other notable cases include large-scale trafficking operations throughout Rapid City and Sioux Falls areas with sentences ranging up to 23 years or more.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative using resources from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) programs—to combat cartels and transnational criminal organizations across the country.
