RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – A Denver man has been sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for leading a large drug trafficking operation tied to western South Dakota, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said Juan Sertuche, 43, was sentenced May 22, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier after being convicted of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Prosecutors said Sertuche ran a long-term drug operation centered in the Rapid City and Pine Ridge areas, supplying about 500 pounds of methamphetamine and more than 33,000 fentanyl pills to local distributors between 2002 and 2023…