Rapid City Man Indicted on Drug Charges

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rapid City man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for possessing methamphetamine while intending to distribute it and for distributing it near Rapid City.

Luis Olivares was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 21, 2010, for Possession With Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Distribution of a Controlled Substance. He appeared before US Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on December 21, 2010, and pled not guilty to the indictment. The maximum penalty upon conviction of each charge is 10 years minimum mandatory and up to life imprisonment and/or a $4,000,000 fine. The charges are merely accusations, and Olivares is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant US Attorney Mark A. Vargo is prosecuting the case. Olivares was remanded to the custody of the US Marshal. A trial date has not yet been set.

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