Fall River County Man Sentenced to more than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Fall River County, who was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  The sentencing took place on January 2, 2026.

Shawn Lant, 40, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Lant was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September 2023.  He pleaded guilty on October 1, 2025.

This conviction stemmed from Lant’s involvement in a large-scale methamphetamine distribution operation in Rapid City, South Dakota, and in the Pine Ridge Reservation.  During this conspiracy, Colorado codefendants supplied Lant and others with significant quantities of methamphetamine that was distributed in South Dakota.  Lant was involved in distributing 5-15 kilograms of methamphetamine while part of this criminal enterprise.

“As long as these drug dealers continue to bring methamphetamine and other poisons into our communities, we will continue to do everything we can to track, investigate, arrest, and indict these criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “I’m grateful for the collective efforts of all our Safe Trails task force officers and law enforcement partners across the state in helping to keep our communities safe.”

This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Fall River County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan N. Dilges and Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.

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