Wicahpe ‘Chops’ Milk, 38, of Wanblee, South Dakota, is headed to federal prison for 30 years after being convicted of running a sprawling methamphetamine trafficking ring that poisoned communities across the western part of the state. The sentence, handed down November 12, 2021, by District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier, marks the end of a five-year federal case targeting one of the region’s most persistent drug suppliers.
Milk was found guilty at trial in July 2021 on three counts: Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person, and Obstruction of Justice. The charges stemmed from a trafficking operation that began as early as January 2015, when Milk began smuggling methamphetamine from California and flooding it into South Dakota through a network of recruited dealers. At least 15 individuals were pulled into his scheme, distributing drugs in Rapid City, Wanblee, Pine Ridge, Kyle, Mission, Box Elder, Martin, and Allen.
In August 2016, the operation began to unravel when Milk, a passenger in a vehicle stopped by Pennington County Sheriff’s Office deputies, fled on foot and was captured after a brief chase. Officers found methamphetamine and a loaded firearm inside the car. Because Milk had a prior felony conviction, he was legally barred from possessing any firearm—a violation that added serious time to his eventual sentence.
While awaiting trial, Milk didn’t back down. Instead, he escalated. From jail, he wrote letters to witnesses containing threats, promises, and attempts at coercion, all aimed at derailing the prosecution. Those actions sealed his fate on the obstruction charge, showing a pattern of defiance and danger that prosecutors said demanded maximum accountability.
The investigation was a joint hammer blow by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, alongside the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich led the prosecution, securing a conviction that reflects the breadth and brutality of Milk’s operation.
Milk was remanded immediately to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing. He will serve 30 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release and must pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The case stands as a stark reminder: in the Badlands, the drug trade may run deep, but so does the reach of justice.
RELATED: Wicahpe ‘Chops’ Milk Gets 30 Years for Meth Trafficking
Related Federal Cases
- Wicahpe ‘Chops’ Milk Gets 30 Years for Meth Trafficking · South Dakota
- Brian Jackson, 64, Gets 10 Years in Meth Trafficking Case · South Dakota
- Salvador Madrigal Jr.’s 33-Year Sentence: Crackdown on South Dakota Meth Trafficking · South Dakota
- Jocelyn Mendoza Gets 32 Months for Meth Conspiracy · Iowa
- Meth Conspiracy Lands California Man in SD Lockup · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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