Canbie Ryan Thompson, Meth Trafficking, South Dakota 2021

Lower Brule Man Sentenced to 400 Months in Federal Prison for Leading a Meth and Money Laundering Conspiracy

Canbie Ryan Thompson, a 45-year-old man from Lower Brule, South Dakota, was sentenced to 400 months in federal prison for leading a meth and money laundering conspiracy.

Thompson was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, and was sentenced on July 25, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Thompson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in July of 2021. He pleaded guilty on May 5, 2022.

From December 2020 until on or about March 2021, Thompson reached an agreement to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere. On March 23, 2021, Thompson was transporting 4,989 grams of methamphetamine and was lawfully stopped and searched by police.

Additionally, beginning in January of 2018, Thompson intentionally conspired to knowingly conduct and attempt to conduct financial transactions affecting interstate and foreign commerce. He deposited U.S Currency at financial institutions and conducted wire/money transfers, which involved the proceeds of a specified unlawful activity, that is, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Thompson had an obstruction of justice sentencing enhancement because after being indicted, he obtained discovery information from the case and disseminated it to an unauthorized individual. The dissemination of that discovery impeded the investigation and prosecution of the case by making the name of a cooperating witness public.

Thompson was previously convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance in South Dakota in 2010, for which he was sentenced to 63 months.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, IRS Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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

Thompson must also serve five years of supervised release and pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The case highlights the ongoing struggle against methamphetamine trafficking and money laundering in South Dakota. The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrate the commitment of law enforcement agencies to dismantling large-scale drug trafficking organizations and disrupting their financial networks.

Defendant’s Information:

Defendant’s Name: Canbie Ryan Thompson

Defendant’s Age: 45

Defendant’s City and State: Lower Brule, South Dakota

Exact Date: July 25, 2022

Sentence or Outcome: 400 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/lower-brule-man-returns-federal-prison-over-33-years-leading-meth-and-money-laundering