Northeast Radio SD News – South Dakota – A 38-year-old Dallas, Texas, man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for operating an interstate cocaine distribution and money laundering network that funneled drugs into Rapid City, federal officials announced.
Gerardo Escobar Balderas was sentenced on August 14, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier to concurrent sentences of 10 years and one month in federal prison. The sentencing follows his June 1, 2026, guilty plea to charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and money laundering. Upon release, Escobar Balderas will serve four years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $200 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons, Escobar Balderas managed a supply line from Texas, mailing approximately 12 kilograms of cocaine directly to an associate in Rapid City. Multiple local distributors then sold the drugs throughout the area and transferred the proceeds back to Escobar Balderas via electronic cash transfers…