DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of South Dakota

For Immediate Release

Friday, December 9, 2022
Alison J. Ramsdell
, United States Attorney

Rapid City Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffery L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 5, 2022.

Michael McLeod, 43, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Michael McLeod was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September of 2020. He pleaded guilty on August 19, 2022.

During the conspiracy, McLeod traveled to Nebraska on at least one occasion to transport methamphetamine to South Dakota. Once the methamphetamine arrived in the Rapid City area it was dispersed to others for use and distribution. Others charged in the conspiracy have already been sentenced.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the 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, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

McLeod was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

St. Paul Field Division