Federal Prosecutors Dismantle Four Major Drug Trafficking Organizations Flooding South Dakota with Methamphetamine and FentanylArticle

“Behind every ounce of methamphetamine and every fentanyl pill in these cases is a South Dakota family that has suffered and felt the damage. That is who this work is for. We have proven that no link in the chain is beyond our reach—not the local dealer, not the out-of-state supplier, and not the cartel hiding in the shadows behind them. Working with our federal, state, local, and tribal partners, we will keep following that chain, defendant by defendant and case by case, until our communities are no longer a market these traffickers believe they can exploit.”— U.S.

Attorney Ron ParsonsSIOUX FALLS, S.D. — United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced the results of four landmark federal prosecutions in the past year that have systematically dismantled major drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) connected to the Mexican cartels responsible for flooding South Dakota communities with methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other deadly narcotics. Through coordinated, long-term investigations involving federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota has secured federal convictions against 54 members of these four organizations, with eight cases still pending and one case dismissed due to the defendant’s death, and has obtained substantial federal prison sentences—including multiple sentences exceeding 20 and 30 years—against their leaders, lieutenants, suppliers, and sub-distributors in the past year alone.Conservatively estimated, these four DTOs together trafficked more than 1,000 pounds—over half a ton—of methamphetamine and multiple kilograms of fentanyl pills and powder into South Dakota over the course of recent years. The defendants ranged from out-of-state suppliers connected to Mexican cartels to local distributors operating from short-term rental properties, hotels, and private residences across Sioux Falls, Rapid City, the Pine Ridge Reservation, and surrounding communities.As the capstone of those efforts, U.S.

Attorney Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Las Vegas, Nevada, man convicted by a federal jury of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, as well as an additional three of his subordinates for similar drug-related crimes.On June 24, 2026, Quantiae Harris, 49, was sentenced to 33 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Harris was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2024.

He was found guilty by a federal jury following a four-day trial on March 27, 2026. Harris was the leader of a California and Nevada-based drug trafficking organization responsible for bringing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to the Sioux Falls area. More than anyone else, Harris was responsible for the introduction and distribution of fentanyl powder — the most potent, deadly and destructive form of that illicit substance — into the Sioux Falls illegal drug market. At his sentencing, Judge Schreier noted that the drug quantity involved in the prosecution of the Quantiae Harris drug trafficking organization was one of the highest she had seen in more than 25 years on the federal bench."The actions of Quantiae Harris and his associates made detrimental and lasting impacts on communities across South Dakota.

Fentanyl and methamphetamine carry potentially lethal consequences, and some families may never recover from the poisons Harris knowingly brought into the state and sold. Today’s sentencing sends a strong message to drug traffickers looking to make their mark in our state. DEA, alongside state, local, tribal and fellow federal partners will work non-stop to bring individuals peddling these illicit drugs to justice.” — Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Field Division “This is an amazing win for the people of South Dakota. The damage Harris and his associates have done to communities by introducing fentanyl powder to Sioux Falls is immeasurable.

IRS-CI special agents are committed to working alongside our federal law enforcement partners to trace the money trails that lead to the disruption of dangerous drug trafficking organizations such as this.” — Special Agent in Charge William Steenson IRS-Criminal InvestigationThree additional sentences for members of the Quantiae Harris DTO were also announced by U.S. Attorney Parsons today:On June 15, 2026, Faily Chavez, 31, from California City, California, was sentenced by Judge Schreier to 24 years and four months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Chavez was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October 2024. She pleaded guilty on March 24, 2026.On June 22, 2026, Kyle Schryvers, 33, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was sentenced by U.S.

District Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange to 16 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on March 17, 2026.Also on June 22, 2026, Nicole Kritz, 48, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was sentenced by Chief Judge Lange to five years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She pleaded guilty on March 16, 2026.Chavez, Schryvers, and Kritz were all members of the Quantiae Harris DTO.These sentences are the latest results from the systematic takedown of four major drug trafficking operations in South Dakota over the past year:Quantiae Harris DTOJuan Sertuche DTOMatthew Shade DTODarrel Devorce DTOBy the NumbersCombined results across just these four discrete prosecutions:Total defendants charged or convicted federally: 63 charged, 54 convictions to dateMethamphetamine trafficked (combined estimates): More than 1,000 poundsFentanyl pills trafficked (combined estimates): Tens of thousandsFentanyl powder: Multiple kilogramsMoney laundering proceeds traced: Several million dollarsFederal prison sentences to date: More than 660 yearsFederal jury trials: Three to date (Quantiae Harris, Juan Sertuche, and Gregory Henderson convicted at trial)Importantly, the prosecutions of the four drug trafficking organizations detailed in this report represent only a portion of the drug trafficking convictions and sentences secured by the U.S.

Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota over the past year.QUANTIAE HARRIS DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION26-Defendant California- and Nevada-Based Methamphetamine and Fentanyl ConspiracyOverview of the OrganizationFrom late 2023 through September 2024, a California- and Nevada-based drug trafficking organization led by Quantiae Harris, age 49, of Las Vegas, Nevada, transported large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to South Dakota for distribution in the Sioux Falls area. The organization is the first known to have introduced powder fentanyl to the Sioux Falls drug market—a development of grave public health and public safety concern given fentanyl’s extreme lethality even in microscopic amounts.The organization initially shipped drugs through the U.S. Mail to addresses in Sioux Falls, where members would collect packages and distribute the contents to local sub-distributors. Operations were originally conducted out of local hotels, but eventually transitioned to short-term rental properties, including Airbnbs.

Once the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began intercepting their packages, the organization shifted methods, using rental vehicles equipped with hidden compartments to drive narcotics from California to Sioux Falls.Customers contacted members for brief meetups at public locations to purchase drugs, with payments made in cash or through electronic payment platforms such as Cash App. Bulk cash proceeds were transported back to California in rental vehicles, while large amounts of currency were also deposited in local banks into accounts belonging to Quantiae Harris. The Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation linked Harris to over $1.2 million in money laundering transactions related to the organization.Scope of Trafficking (Conservative Estimates)More than 100 pounds of methamphetamineTens of thousands of fentanyl pills (estimated 50,000)Approximately 2 kilograms of fentanyl powderMore than $1.2 million in money laundering transactions linked to the DTO leaderIndictments and ProsecutionsFour rounds of federal indictments charged a total of 26 defendants in connection with the Harris organization.

Convictions for 22 of the 26 defendants have been secured so far. Harris, the DTO leader, was convicted following a four-day federal jury trial in Sioux Falls, returning a guilty verdict on every count on March 27, 2026. Currently, four remaining defendants are scheduled for trials. Regarding those four defendants, as with any pending criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation, and they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.Federal DefendantsDefendantRoleStatusSentenceQuantiae HarrisLas Vegas, NVLeader of the DTOConvicted at trial on 3/27/26; sentenced on 6/24/26400 months (33 years)Stephonn WaltonLas Vegas, NVAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Dejuan CroomLos Angeles, CAThird in command; managerial rolePleaded guilty; sentenced on 4/6/26280 months (over 23 years)Alonzo GreenCalifornia City, CAFourth in commandPleaded guilty; sentenced on 1/5/26240 months (20 years)Faily ChavezCalifornia City, CACalifornia-based source of supplyPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/15/26292 months (over 24 years)Hailey SchneidermanSioux Falls, SDMajor local sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 8/4/25192 months (16 years)Amanda AcostaPrairie Village, KSMajor sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 9/29/25240 months (20 years)Alysia PeneauxSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 4/13/26120 months (10 years)Rodney Rohrbach Jr.Sioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty on 4/6/26Sentencing on 6/29/26Rodney Rohrbach Sr.Chamberlain, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 1/26/2670 months (over 5 years)Isaiah CroomLos Angeles, CASub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 3/16/2630 months (over 2 years)Brett BerglundSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 11/17/25135 months (over 11 years)Brandy ChristmanAberdeen, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 9/29/256 monthsHeather DowneySioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 8/25/25120 months (10 years)Alexis MertensSlayton, MNSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 9/22/2592 months (over 7 years)Ashley MortimerLennox, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 1/16/2692 months (over 7 years)Kenneth JohnsonLos Angeles, CADistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 11/24/25159 months (over 13 years)Jeffrey SkannalLas Vegas, NVDistributorPleaded guilty on 6/11/26Sentencing on 8/31/26Jordon HarrisSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 11/17/2587 months (over 7 years)Morgan MenteleSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 4/20/2630 monthsKyle HeinemannSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/8/26120 months (10 years)Kyle SchryversSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/22/26192 months (16 years)Nicole KritzSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/22/2670 months (over 5 years)Jordan ReeseSioux Falls, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Allen ShropshireSioux Falls, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Joshua WeisserSioux Falls, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—“This was a major bust of a significant figure in the lurid underworld of illegal drugs.

The Trump Administration has designated fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality in extremely small amounts. In its pure powder form, it truly is a chemical weapon. If a member of your family used fentanyl in Sioux Falls over the past few years, this defendant is one of the primary drug dealers likely to have brought it here.” — U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons (following Harris jury verdict)Investigating AgenciesDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA); U.S.

Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force (SFADTF); Sioux Falls Police Department; South Dakota Highway Patrol; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).Each of these cases has been prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen handled the investigatory stage of some of the prosecutions.JUAN SERTUCHE DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONTwo-Decade Cartel-Sourced Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Pipeline into Western South Dakota Shut DownOverview of the OrganizationJuan Sertuche, age 43, of Denver, Colorado, led a drug distribution conspiracy spanning more than two decades from approximately 2002 through September 2023.

Sertuche was sourced by a Mexican cartel and brought between 30 and 50 pounds of methamphetamine into South Dakota every other week, providing hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills to multiple sub-distributors for further distribution in the Rapid City area and the Pine Ridge Reservation.Investigators linked Sertuche to a traffic stop that uncovered 19 pounds of methamphetamine intended for distribution in western South Dakota. He was arrested in September 2023 after another traffic stop in Jackson County, where officers found approximately 1,500 fentanyl pills. Even after his arrest, Sertuche continued coordinating drug deals from custody and directed others to collect firearms to trade for drugs. Law enforcement recovered several weapons, including two fully automatic machine guns, before they could be exchanged.Scope of TraffickingHundreds of pounds of methamphetamine over the duration of the conspiracyTens of thousands of fentanyl pillsSource of supply traced to Mexican cartelContinued drug coordination and firearms trafficking after arrestIndictments and ProsecutionsThe investigation produced parallel federal and state prosecutions.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the top tier of the organization, resulting in 10 convictions and federal prison sentences, while additional DTO members were prosecuted in state court.Federal DefendantsDefendantRoleStatusSentenceJuan SertucheDenver, COLeader of the DTO; cartel-sourced supplierConvicted at trial on 1/8/26; sentenced on 5/22/26540 months (45 years)Veronica OrtegaBox Elder, SDMain local distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 7/11/25292 months (over 24 years)Shauntel ShangreauxPine Ridge, SDKey lieutenantPleaded guilty; sentenced on 4/6/26230 months (over 19 years)Paige SierraRapid City, SDDistributor; transportation assistancePleaded guilty; sentenced on 7/11/25140 months (over 11 years)Jackie CoreanBlack Hawk, SDDistribution hub host, sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 9/2/25135 months (over 11 years)Jenna Lee HolzerBox Elder, SDMajor sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 10/28/25360 months (30 years)Darin WherleyBlack Hawk, SDMajor sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 11/1/24320 months (over 26 years)Monique MerrivalGreeley, COMajor sub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 10/11/24224 months (over 18 years)Shelina MartinezDenver, COSub-distributor, courierPleaded guilty; sentenced on 8/8/25 60 months (5 years)Daniel SandovalDenver, COSub-distributor, courierIndictment dismissed when defendant died—“We may never know the true depths of the devastation, suffering, and loss inflicted on our communities by the methamphetamine, fentanyl, and automatic weapons trafficked and sold by this defendant. But we will do our best to hold this profiteer of misery fully accountable and ensure he receives a federal prison sentence that will put him out of that business for a long time.” — U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons (following Sertuche conviction at trial)Investigating AgenciesSouth Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI); Pennington County Sheriff’s Office; Rapid City Police Department; South Dakota Highway Patrol; Wyoming State Highway Patrol; North Metro Denver Drug Task Force; Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety (OSTDPS); and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).These cases were prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S.

Attorney Benjamin Patterson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen, Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges.MATTHEW SHADE DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONArizona-Sourced Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Operation Trafficking 200 Pounds into Sioux Falls Area DismantledOverview of the OrganizationMatthew Shade, age 34, of Tea, South Dakota, served as the local leader of a drug trafficking organization that obtained methamphetamine and fentanyl from sources in Mexico who then arranged for the drugs to cross the border and be delivered to co-conspirators in Arizona for distribution throughout the Sioux Falls area.

The organization received drugs both through the U.S. Mail and through cross-country car deliveries by a supplier traveling from Arizona to South Dakota.In December 2024, investigators seized a package containing over four pounds of methamphetamine. Postal Inspectors, working with the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, also seized two parcels sent from Sioux Falls to Arizona that contained over $26,000 in cash, as well as a separate package bound for Sioux Falls containing 144 grams of fentanyl powder. After identifying that Shade’s supplier was traveling by car to South Dakota, investigators arranged for the South Dakota Highway Patrol to conduct a traffic stop during which a trooper located approximately 26 pounds of methamphetamine and over 2,000 fentanyl pills concealed in the vehicle.

At Shade’s residence in Tea, investigators found 80 grams of methamphetamine, 22 fentanyl pills, and other narcotics.Scope of TraffickingApproximately 200 pounds of methamphetamine trafficked to the Sioux Falls areaSignificant quantities of fentanyl pills and fentanyl powderMultiple seizures of bulk cash being routed back to Arizona suppliersIndictments and ProsecutionsTo date, 13 defendants have been indicted in connection with the Shade organization, including Matthew Shade himself, nine South Dakota members operating beneath him, and two Arizona-based defendants representing the supply chain. Nine defendants have been convicted, with two of those defendants still awaiting sentencing; four additional defendants have pending trial dates. Regarding those four defendants, as with any pending criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation, and they are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Federal DefendantsDefendantRoleStatusSentenceMatthew ShadeTea, SDLocal leader of the DTOPleaded guilty; sentenced on 5/4/26260 months (over 21 years)Sean David BlanchfillTea, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 3/2/26202 months (over 16 years)Damian Roy WebsterGlendale, AZDistributor, coordinator of shipments from ArizonaPleaded guilty; sentenced on 8/18/25168 months (14 years)Alex Geoffrey LangSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 12/1/25160 months (over 13 years)Carey Adam LudensCrooks, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 5/18/26160 months (over 13 years)Robert Duane Kent, Jr.Sioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 5/18/2692 months (over 7 years)Michael Lee TerveenSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 10/27/2560 months (5 years)Kourtney Leigh LangSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty on 3/2/26Sentencing on 7/6/26Lorenzo PortilloSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty on 5/5/26Sentencing on 8/24/26John Stanford RothPhoenix, AZAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Julia Diane PewoSioux Falls, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Cory Wayne NohavaSioux Falls, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—Ryan Richard TulioTea, SDAlleged co-conspiratorPleaded not guilty; pending trial—“This was another skillfully managed takedown of a serial drug dealer and his operation by the dedicated officers on the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, with a strong assist from the Criminal Investigations Unit of the U.S.

Postal Inspection Service. In all likelihood, the fentanyl and methamphetamine seized from this criminal’s operation would have killed some people who are alive right now in Sioux Falls. This investigation, prosecution, and substantial federal prison sentence has given them another chance at life. I will never stop being grateful for that.” — U.S.

Attorney Ron Parsons (following Shade sentencing)Investigating AgenciesSioux Falls Area Drug Task Force (SFADTF); Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office; South Dakota Highway Patrol; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).These cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges, Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson, and Assistant U.S.

Attorney Mark Joyce.DARREL DEVORCE DRUG TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATIONFive-Year California-to-South Dakota Methamphetamine Pipeline DismantledOverview of the OrganizationDarrel Devorce, age 57, of San Jacinto, California, ran a large methamphetamine trafficking organization for approximately five years, sourcing methamphetamine from California to co-conspirators in Sioux Falls beginning around 2018 and continuing into 2023. Devorce arranged for methamphetamine from California to be delivered to co-conspirators in South Dakota using various couriers and directed others to conduct financial transactions involving the proceeds using Cash App, Western Union, and Zelle. The money transfers were designed to conceal both the source of the proceeds and Devorce’s involvement in the conspiracy.Scope of TraffickingApproximately 200 pounds of methamphetamine trafficked into South DakotaOver $700,000 laundered through the organizationFive-year operational period (approximately 2018–2023)Indictments and ProsecutionsThe Devorce investigation has resulted in convictions and sentences of 14 defendants in federal court.Federal DefendantsDefendantRoleStatusSentenceDarrel DevorceSan Jacinto, CALeader of the DTOPleaded guilty; sentenced on 11/3/25400 months (33 years)Maurice LoganCorona, CADistributor and transporterPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/9/25132 months (11 years)Katrina Marie GreenSioux Falls, SDMain local distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 12/18/23128 months (over 10 years)Janet Denise MalletSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on11/27/23120 months (10 years)Frank Cortez BakerSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/2/25132 months (11 years)Tara Dionne ClaytonSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 2/12/24132 months (11 years)Amber Louise JustusSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 7/29/24168 months (14 years)Gregory HendersonSioux Falls, SDMoney laundererConvicted at trial on 12/4/25; sentenced on 3/16/2660 months (5 years)Billy DickinsonSioux Falls, SDSub-distributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 5/15/2334 months (over 2 years)Gregory Lamar BellSioux Falls, SDUnlawful drug user in possession of firearmPleaded guilty; sentenced on 8/19/2457 months (over 4 years)Kurtis DukeSioux Falls, SDDistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/12/2358 months (over 5 years)Julia Precious BallansawDecatur, GADistributorPleaded guilty; sentenced on 6/3/2470 months (over five years)Destiny CantyRiverside, CAMoney laundererPleaded guilty; sentenced on 2/9/2634 months (over 2 years)Nicole DorroughSan Jacinto, CAMoney laundererPleaded guilty; sentenced on 1/26/2634 months (over two years)“Devorce is a longtime meth dealer responsible for shipping that poison into South Dakota since at least 2018. He will now be separated from the rest of society for most of the rest of his life.” — U.S.

Attorney Ron Parsons (following Devorce sentencing)Investigating AgenciesHomeland Security Investigations (HSI); Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force (SFADTF); South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI).These cases were prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson, Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb.Why This MattersThese four organizations represent fundamentally different models of drug trafficking: a long-running, cartel-sourced pipeline from Mexico through Colorado (Sertuche); a multi-year California-to-South Dakota methamphetamine operation (Devorce); a sophisticated, multi-method California- and Nevada-based operation that introduced powder fentanyl to Sioux Falls (Harris); and an Arizona-sourced operation moving narcotics into the Sioux Falls suburbs (Shade).

Together they illustrate how out-of-state suppliers, usually with cartel ties, continue to target South Dakota communities, and how federal prosecutors and law enforcement partners are responding.Fentanyl in particular poses a grave and growing threat. The Harris organization was the first known to introduce powder fentanyl to the Sioux Falls market, a substance lethal in microscopic amounts. The dismantling of these organizations and the substantial federal prison sentences obtained have meaningfully disrupted the flow of these drugs into South Dakota and saved lives.These results, however, mark the beginning of a sustained effort, not the end of it. Additional defendants in these four prosecutions remain pending trial or pending sentencing.

New investigations and new indictments are ongoing, and the work done in taking down these four drug trafficking organizations reflects only a portion of the total felony drug convictions secured by this office over the past year. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota intends to continue its aggressive use of federal prosecution against any drug trafficking organization that targets South Dakota communities, and to do so until the supply networks reaching into this State have been dismantled.A Coordinated, Multi-Agency EffortThese prosecutions were the product of sophisticated, long-term investigations conducted by federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, many of which collaborate through long-standing drug task forces operating throughout South Dakota. The cases reflect the strength of the multi-agency model in which federal and state investigators, prosecutors, postal inspectors, financial crimes specialists, state troopers, tribal law enforcement, and local police and sheriff’s offices each contributed to building cases capable of holding the highest-level traffickers accountable.Task Forces and Agencies Involved Across the Four ProsecutionsDrug Enforcement Administration (DEA)Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)U.S.

Customs & Border Protection (CBP)Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI)U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS)Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)Bureau of Indian Affairs-Division of Drug Enforcement (BIA-DDE)South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI)South Dakota Highway Patrol (SDHP)Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force (SFADTF)Sioux Falls Police DepartmentMinnehaha County Sheriff’s OfficeUnified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET)Pennington County Sheriff’s OfficeRapid City Police DepartmentOglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety (OSTDPS)North Metro Denver Drug Task ForceWyoming State Highway PatrolPart of a National Strategy: South Dakota and the Nationwide Effort to Eradicate Cartels and Drug TraffickingThese four DTO takedowns are not isolated victories. They are part of the most comprehensive, whole-of-government campaign to dismantle drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations in modern American history. Beginning on his first day back in office, President Trump set in motion a sweeping series of executive actions, designations, task force structures, and policy directives intended to do what no prior administration has attempted at this scale: achieve the total elimination of the cartels and the eradication of illegal drug trafficking on American soil.

To accomplish this directive, the United States government is utilizing every tool at its disposal: law enforcement, addiction treatment and counseling, border security, trade, the banking system, international diplomacy, and, where authorized, military action.South Dakota’s prosecutions of the Harris, Devorce, Sertuche, and Shade organizations are an integral part of that national strategy. Each of these cases reaches back, ultimately, to out-of-state and often cartel-connected sources of supply. Each illustrates how the national framework set in Washington translates into convictions, prison sentences, and lives saved in Sioux Falls, Rapid City, the communities of the Pine Ridge Reservation, and across all of South Dakota.We Are Only Getting StartedNew indictments are being returned by federal grand juries on a routine basis. New investigations, including investigations targeting the out-of-state and cartel-connected suppliers above the local distribution networks already dismantled, are underway.

Every prosecution that produces a cooperator opens a door to the next organization.At the national level, the trajectory is the same. The Homeland Security Task Force model, the FTO designation regime, and the consolidated Operation Take Back America framework are all permanent fixtures of federal law enforcement. The Administration has made clear, repeatedly and at the highest level, that the goal is not the disruption of cartels and trafficking organizations, but their total elimination. That work will continue, in South Dakota and across the country, until that goal is achieved.To the traffickers, distributors, money launderers, and out-of-state suppliers still operating in or targeting South Dakota: the message from this U.S.

Attorney’s Office and its federal, state, local, and tribal partners is direct. The cases described in this report are not the end of the work. They are the beginning. Anyone who continues to bring methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, or other deadly drugs into South Dakota communities should expect the same fate as the defendants identified above: federal indictment, federal conviction, and a substantial federal prison sentence.About Operation Take Back AmericaMany of these prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the U.S.

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 Neighborhoods (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.