Department of Justice
For Immediate Release
Colorado Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Conspiracy to Distribute Meth
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Aurora, Colorado, man convicted by virtue of guilty pleas to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Brandishing a Firearm During and In Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime was sentenced on October 28, 2019, Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.
Dana Gene Faulkner, age 41, was sentenced to 25 years in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
From May 2017 through August 2017, Faulkner transported and arranged transportation of 15-45 kilograms of methamphetamine to South Dakota from Colorado. He then had multiple sub-distributors who dealt the methamphetamine in the Rapid City area. To further his drug distribution activities, Faulkner frequently brandished a firearm. When he was arrested in August 2017, Faulkner had in his possession a Taurus firearm, which was forfeited.
Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity. Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers. It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and the local community to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case. Multiple co-conspirators have already been sentenced and two more remain pending sentencing.
Faulkner was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.