Rapid City Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Jason Barton, a 38-year-old Rapid City man, has been sentenced to 240 months in custody for his role in a massive methamphetamine conspiracy that brought in over 500 grams of the deadly drug to South Dakota from 2014 to 2016.

According to court documents, Barton was part of a group that conspired to distribute methamphetamine across the state, with the majority of the crimes taking place in Rapid City. The indictment against Barton was handed down by a federal grand jury in February 2015, and he pleaded guilty to the charges in January 2016.

Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken of the U.S. District Court handed down the sentence on April 29, 2016. In addition to the 240-month prison term, Barton was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and serve 10 years of supervised release following his release from custody.

The investigation into Barton’s crimes was a collaborative effort between multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, the White Earth Minnesota Police Department, and the Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted L. McBride and Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case against Barton, securing the conviction that led to his lengthy prison sentence.

Barton was turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service immediately following his sentencing, bringing an end to a long and complicated investigation.

The case serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of methamphetamine and the importance of law enforcement’s efforts to combat the scourge of this deadly drug.