RAPID CITY, S.D. — Drug possession arrests increased in Pennington County in 2025, continuing a gradual rise over the past decade.
According to the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office annual report, there were 1,248 drug possession arrests in 2025. That’s up from 1,149 in 2024 and 1,032 in 2023. Ten years earlier, in 2015, the sheriff’s office reported 955 drug arrests.
During all four of those years, methamphetamine was by far the most common substance involved.
In 2025, 806 people were arrested for possessing methamphetamine. That was followed by 135 arrests for fentanyl and 75 for cocaine or crack cocaine. Another 137 arrests were categorized as “other drug possession,” which includes substances such as bath salts, LSD, hashish, mushrooms and MDMA or ecstasy.
In addition to arrests, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), led by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and supported by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol and other local and federal partners, seized $98,067 in currency and property and 18 firearms in 2025.
“The team has had continued success prosecuting individuals responsible for sourcing fentanyl linked to overdoses, making fentanyl enforcement a top priority. Rising drug prices over the past year are believed to reflect increased enforcement efforts at the border and nationwide,” the 2025 report states.
Authorities also reported one of the largest fentanyl powder seizures in western South Dakota in May 2025. During a traffic stop in Pennington County, investigators recovered 3.3 ounces of fentanyl powder, 3,500 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, about three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine and an ounce of marijuana.
While drug possession arrests increased in Pennington County, drug crimes dropped statewide. According to South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley, drug crimes decreased six percent across South Dakota in 2025, contributing to an overall drop in crime.
“Oftentimes when we investigate a violent crime, there will also be a drug crime,” Jackley said.
