RAPID CITY, S.D. – A 34-year-old Rapid City man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Rapid City area. Michael Cole, also known as “Texas,” was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Prosecutors say that between January and February 2024, Cole conspired with others to move large amounts of meth and fentanyl into the Rapid City area. He traveled to Colorado to purchase the drugs, then brought them back to South Dakota for distribution. At the time, Cole was already on federal supervised release for a prior drug conspiracy conviction.
“This investigation resulted in the seizure of more than seven pounds of methamphetamine and over 2,000 counterfeit M/30 fentanyl pills destined for distribution in the Rapid City area,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Thanks to the dogged work of the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and this resulting federal prosecution, Cole will be spending the next two decades of his life in prison.”
Cole was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty in March 2025.
The case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which includes the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the National Guard Counter Drug Unit.
