SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – A 55-year-old woman will spend nearly a decade in federal prison for her role in a multi-state methamphetamine trafficking operation with ties to Mexico.
Patricia Lawson, of Omaha, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
According to federal officials, Lawson played a key role in a drug trafficking network that moved methamphetamine from Nebraska to South Dakota. She obtained the drug in Omaha and either transported it herself to Sioux Falls or coordinated exchanges with co-conspirators who traveled to Nebraska.
Investigators say Lawson was also responsible for sending drug proceeds through multiple wire transfers to people in Mexico at the direction of another member of the conspiracy.
In total, Lawson was involved in trafficking approximately 20 pounds of methamphetamine.
Federal data shows the broader scope of the issue. According to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Methamphetamine Profiling Program, most of the methamphetamine available in the United States is produced in Mexico, with trafficking organizations continuing to supply highly pure and potent forms of the drug.
While methamphetamine seizures dropped in 2024 to 50,575 kilograms, down 27 percent from 69,234 kilograms in 2023, authorities report a rise in pill-form seizures. The DEA seized 3.2 million methamphetamine pills in 2024, up from 2.6 million the year before.
Officials warn the drug is increasingly being disguised as legitimate prescription medications, including Adderall, or sold as MDMA. The DEA says those counterfeit pills can increase the risk of unintentional overdoses, particularly among new or unsuspecting users.
