⏱ 2 min read
Edwin Giovanni Salinas, a 47-year-old El Salvador man, was caught with approximately 16 pounds of fentanyl, including three pounds of pure China and Mexican cartel-sourced fentanyl powder and nearly 50,000 fentanyl pills, in a speeding car near the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation in South Dakota. The incident occurred at 4 am, and the vehicle was stopped by a deputy with the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office. Salinas was traveling with an individual he recruited to drive, and the immediate destination for the drugs was believed to be a meeting spot at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota.
The approximate street value of the seized drugs was estimated at $2,000,000. Salinas’ arrest and subsequent conviction have dealt a significant blow to the fentanyl trade in the Midwest. The case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat the fentanyl epidemic and bring perpetrators to justice.
Salinas was sentenced to 365 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed the sentence, which was issued by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann. The appeal was argued at the federal courthouse in St. Paul, Minnesota, and the Eighth Circuit issued its opinion and judgment affirming the sentence on May 7, 2026.
The case against Salinas demonstrates the collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the judiciary in combating the fentanyl crisis. The sentence handed down to Salinas serves as a warning to those involved in the illicit fentanyl trade, and it underscores the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protecting communities from the devastating effects of fentanyl.
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- Ronnie Lee Helms, Fentanyl Trafficking, North Dakota 2017 · South Dakota
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: South Dakota
- Location: SD
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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