Noel Rivera, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, South Dakota 2022

RAPID CITY - A South Dakota court has sentenced a Mexican national to 17.5 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation.

Noel Rivera, 44, of Obregon, Mexico, was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in August 2021. He pleaded guilty on April 25, 2022, and was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The sentencing took place on December 15, 2022, at the U.S. District Court in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Rivera's crime involved coordinating with other co-conspirators and transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from Arizona and other places outside of South Dakota into South Dakota. He also coordinated with others regarding the storage and distribution of the methamphetamine once it arrived in South Dakota.

Agents conducted a search warrant of multiple locations in the Rapid City area tied to the conspiracy in August 2021, locating over 70 pounds of methamphetamine, multiple pounds of heroin and cocaine, as well as thousands of fentanyl pills, approximately $144,000, and thirteen firearms.

Rivera was sentenced to 17.5 years in federal prison, followed by five years supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

This case was investigated by the 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 Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/obregon-mexico-man-sentenced-drug-trafficking