Aberdeen Man Sentenced on Drug Charges

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Aberdeen, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance was sentenced on January 14, 2021, by U.S. Magistrate Judge William D. Gerdes.

Johnathan Bravo Barrera, age 26, was sentenced to one year of probation, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.

Bravo Barrera was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 11, 2020. He pled guilty on October 26, 2021.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on October 23, 2019, in Corson County, South Dakota. On that date, Dewey County and McPherson County Sheriff’s Department deputies initiated a traffic stop of Barrera’s vehicle, after observing him drive over the fog line several times. The deputies’ observations during the traffic stop led them to believe Barrera was engaged in illegal activities. A drug detection canine was deployed around the vehicle and alerted to the presence of drugs inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle uncovered 3.5 pounds of marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance, that Barrera knowingly and intentionally possessed.

This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Corson County and Dewey County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore prosecuted the case.