Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on May 1, 2020, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.

Joseph Romero, age 33, was sentenced to 12½ years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Romero joined a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy with other individuals in January 2017. During the course of the conspiracy, Romero received methamphetamine directly from different individuals and distributed the methamphetamine in Rapid City. Over the course of the conspiracy, at least 500 grams of methamphetamine was distributed in the Rapid City area.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the

Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case.

Romero was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

###