Dillan Boydston, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Wisconsin 2022

A multi-agency investigation has led to the sentencing of an Iowa man for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring in western Wisconsin.

Dillan Boydston, 39, of Waukon, Iowa, was sentenced to 84 months in prison by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley for his role in the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Boydston pleaded guilty to the charge on July 20, 2022.

The investigation, which involved the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, Prairie du Chien Police Department, Richland-Iowa-Grant Task Force, Dakota County (Minnesota) Drug Task Force, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation, gathered evidence that Christopher Fernette, Carl Rabe, and Dillan Boydston distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in western Wisconsin.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers obtained evidence that Fernette purchased methamphetamine from multiple people, including a source-of-supply in Minnesota and an individual named Pa Yang.

On April 3, 2021, investigators followed Fernette and Boydston as they crossed into Wisconsin from Minnesota. When the car stopped at a tavern in Ferryville, a deputy from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office approached Fernette and asked for permission to pat him down for weapons. Fernette consented to the pat down but attempted to hide a small plastic baggie in his hand.

After the altercation, the deputy located the baggie which contained a personal use amount of methamphetamine. The deputy also found a discarded black canvass tool bag that contained approximately three pounds of methamphetamine. The deputy used his canine partner to sniff the car that Fernette had been driving. When the canine alerted, investigators searched the car and found $17,200 in cash.

The charges against Boydston, Fernette, Rabe, and Yang were the result of an investigation conducted by the aforementioned agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma is prosecuting this case.

Additionally, Christopher Fernette was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Carl Rabe was sentenced to 96 months in prison for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Pa Yang’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 17, 2022.