SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Federal prosecutors say they have dismantled four major drug trafficking organizations responsible for flooding South Dakota communities with methamphetamine and fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons announced the results this week, highlighting a series of long-term investigations that led to 54 federal convictions over the past year. Eight cases remain pending, and one was dismissed due to the defendant’s death.
Authorities estimate the four organizations trafficked more than 1,000 pounds of methamphetamine (more than half a ton) along with tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and multiple kilograms of fentanyl powder into communities including Sioux Falls, Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Prosecutors say 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.
One of the most significant cases involved 49-year-old Quantiae Harris of Las Vegas, who was sentenced to 33 years in federal prison after being convicted at trial of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Prosecutors say Harris led a California- and Nevada-based organization that brought large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl into the Sioux Falls area, and he was the first known to introduce fentanyl powder into the local drug market.
At sentencing, U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier noted the scale of the case was among the largest she has seen in more than 25 years on the 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,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Dustin Gillespie with the Omaha Field Division.
Three additional members of the Harris organization were also sentenced in June:
— Faily Chavez, 31, of California City, California, received more than 24 years in prison
— Kyle Schryvers, 33, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced to 16 years
— Nicole Kritz, 48, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced to nearly six years
In total, 26 defendants were charged in the Harris case, with 22 convictions secured so far.
“This was a major bust of a significant figure in the lurid underworld of illegal drugs,” said US Attorney Ron Parsons. “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.”
Across all four organizations, federal prosecutors report:
— 63 defendants charged, with 54 convictions to date
— More than 660 years in combined federal prison sentences
— Millions of dollars in drug proceeds tied to money laundering
“These four organizations represent fundamentally different models of drug trafficking: a longrunning, 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),” said a press release from US Attorney Ron Parson’s office. “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.”
The other cases include:
- A decades-long operation led by Juan Sertuche of Denver, accused of supplying hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl to western South Dakota, including Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the top tier of the organization, resulting in 10 convictions and federal prison sentences, while additional members were prosecuted in state court.
- A Mexico to Arizona to Sioux Falls area network locally led by Matthew Shade of Tea, which prosecutors say trafficked roughly 200 pounds of methamphetamine and significant amounts of fentanyl into South Dakota. To date, 13 defendants have been indicted in connection with the Shade organization, including Shade himself, nine South Dakota members operating beneath him, and two Arizona-based defendants representing the supply chain.
- A California-based operation led by Darrel Devorce that transported 200 pounds of methamphetamine into South Dakota over a five-year period and laundered more than $700,000.
Parsons emphasized the growing danger of fentanyl, particularly in powder form, which can be deadly in extremely small amounts.
Officials say the investigations involved coordinated efforts between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. Several defendants across the cases still face trial.
