SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Four people have been sentenced to decades in federal prison for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking and money laundering operation that funneled significant amounts of methamphetamine from California to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Nathan Johnson, 39, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced to nearly 37 years in prison. Michele Johnson, 48, of Steen, Minnesota, received nearly 32 years, while Tony Hunter, 53, and Jesse Richmond, 51, both from Sioux Falls, were sentenced to 27 years and more than 24 years.
“These sentences should serve as a wake-up call to anyone transporting or distributing methamphetamine into South Dakota communities,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division Special Agent in Charge Steve Bell said in a statement. “These four people are facing a combined 119 years in federal prison. Each sentence should provide the offender with ample time to reflect on the damage and destruction they’ve inflicted on so many lives.”
From December 2022 to July 2023, the defendants, along with several co-conspirators, transported large loads of meth from Southern California to Sioux Falls. Nathan Johnson, identified as the leader, would travel from Denver to California, where he obtained approximately 150 pounds of methamphetamine per trip. He then distributed the drugs across Denver and South Dakota.
In Sioux Falls, Johnson supplied bulk quantities of meth to his co-conspirators, Richmond, Hunter, and Michele Johnson, who further distributed it throughout the Sioux Falls area and into southwest Minnesota.
In total, the conspiracy involved more than 300 pounds of methamphetamine, and over $450,000 in drug proceeds were laundered during the operation.
“The multi-decade sentences obtained thus far illustrate the seriousness of the crimes and the dogged commitment of every agency involved to focus our resources on those criminals who choose to distribute dangerous substances in our state,” United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell said in a statement. “We are grateful for the collaboration of more than a dozen federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and joint task forces, as well as out-of-state agencies, which resulted in the takedown of a network of drug dealers responsible for bringing hundreds of pounds of illegal narcotics into South Dakota.”