SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Drug seizures involving fentanyl powder, methamphetamine and cocaine increased in South Dakota in 2025, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
DEA offices in the state reported a 43% increase in fentanyl powder seizures last year, while seizures of counterfeit fentanyl pills fell 41%, mirroring a nationwide shift away from pill production. Officials say cartels are increasingly favoring fentanyl powder, which is cheaper to produce and distribute.
DEA officials said agents in South Dakota are also seeing fentanyl powder mixed into other drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin. During 2025, the purity of fentanyl powder seized in the state dropped from nearly 20% to about 10.3%.
“These numbers should further enforce the fact that fentanyl knows no boundaries,” said Dustin Gillespie, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha Field Division. “Too often we think the Midwest is insulated from the effects of this poison impacting cities along the coasts. This couldn’t be further from the truth as cities from Mitchell to Rapid City have faced their own fight against a substance that continues to take lives and destroy families.”
Across South Dakota, agents seized more than four pounds of fentanyl and approximately 27,500 counterfeit pills in 2025. The DEA estimates those seizures represent roughly 146,000 potentially deadly doses removed from communities statewide.
Fentanyl remains the deadliest drug threat facing the nation, but agents also reported increases in methamphetamine and cocaine seizures. More than 300 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly 40 pounds of cocaine were seized in South Dakota last year.
