Delano, California Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl in the Sioux Falls Area

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Delano, California man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  The sentencing took place on November 3, 2025.

Michael Thomas, 51, was sentenced to 21 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Thomas was indicted for of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October 2023.  He pleaded guilty on August 11. 2025.

Investigators with the FBI and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office uncovered a large group of people selling methamphetamine and fentanyl around Sioux Falls in 2021 and 2022.  Investigators learned that Thomas, who was incarcerated in a prison in California at the time, worked with another inmate in the prison to coordinate large shipments of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills to Sioux Falls and other locations from California.  Thomas coordinated shipments as large as 100 pounds of methamphetamine at a time to Sioux Falls using semi-trucks.  Investigators also learned that the drug trafficking organization run by Thomas and his co-conspirator in prison was operating in California, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, and West Virgina. Investigators believe that in total Thomas was responsible for organizing the shipment of 300-400 pounds of methamphetamine and over 100,000 pills containing fentanyl during his involvement in the conspiracy.  To date, 15 people have been convicted in South Dakota and sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in this scheme.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Thomas was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.