Hermon Mehari Gebre, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, South Dakota 2024

A local man has been sentenced to decades in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl distribution ring.

Hermon Mehari Gebre, 19, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, for his conviction on one count of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

The sentencing took place on October 7, 2024, after Gebre had pleaded guilty to the charge on July 15, 2024. Gebre was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2024.

The conviction stems from incidents over the course of many months until February of 2024, when Gebre knowingly combined, conspired, and agreed with others to distribute over 400 grams of pills containing fentanyl.

Gebre obtained the fentanyl pills from a source on more than one occasion and distributed them to others in South Dakota. He also sold approximately 76 pills to someone who, unbeknownst to Gebre, was working with law enforcement as a confidential informant.

Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance. The case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Sisseton Wahpeton Law Enforcement Services, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Gebre was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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