Carmen Dillon, Meth Trafficking, South Dakota 2021

A South Dakota woman has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for her role in a methamphetamine trafficking operation.

Carmen Dillon, 49, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance in a U.S. District Court.

According to prosecutors, Dillon tracked packages containing methamphetamine sent through the mail, accepted the packages, and distributed the substance in South Dakota from approximately July 2019 to January 2020.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, 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 National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case, which resulted in Dillon being sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The defendant was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The charges against Dillon include Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, which she pleaded guilty to on April 23, 2021. She was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 22, 2020.

The sentencing took place on July 29, 2021. Dillon will serve her five and a half-year sentence in a federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

The case highlights the ongoing struggle against methamphetamine trafficking in South Dakota and the collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat the issue.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/mission-woman-sentenced-five-and-half-years-meth-trafficking