Federal Prosecutor for District of South Dakota Recognized as Midwest HIDTA Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year

(Left to Right Group): U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons, AUSA Mark Hodges, Midwest HIDTA Director Dan Neill, EAUSA Alison Ramsdell, FAUSA and Criminal Chief Gregg Peterman

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges has been selected by the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) as the Outstanding Prosecutor of Year.  Hodges was presented with the Award by Daniel Neill, Executive Director, Midwest HIDTA, Office of National Drug Control Policy, during a ceremony at the Sioux Falls Police Department on Wednesday, March 25, 2026.

“This well-deserved award is a recognition of Mark’s tireless commitment and incredible success working with agents and offices at all levels of law enforcement in the prosecution and conviction of drug dealers and their money launderers throughout the state, our nation, and reaching across international borders,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.  “His hard work and dedication, day in and day out, helps make South Dakota a safer place to live.  Mark is truly a prosecutor’s prosecutor, and we are proud to have him as our colleague.”

“A critical component of Midwest HIDTA’s mission is to reduce the availability of illicit drugs by targeting, disrupting, and dismantling drug trafficking organizations. The Midwest HIDTA Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Initiative for the District of South Dakota is strategically designed to strengthen the capacity of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ensure aggressive, coordinated federal prosecution. AUSA Hodges’ efforts exemplify the impact and intent of this initiative—holding traffickers accountable while making our communities safer,” said Executive Director Neill.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges began his career as a federal drug prosecutor in 2020, when he was selected to serve as the HIDTA-funded Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota.  After just one year in that position, he was hired by the U.S. Attorney’s Office as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division.  Since joining the office, he has prosecuted dozens of complex, multi-defendant drug conspiracies and fentanyl overdose deaths, racking up more than 2,500 years of federal prison time for drug dealers.  In 2024, he was promoted to OCDETF Lead Attorney, and today, he serves as the District’s Homeland Security Task Force Lead Attorney.

Comprised of 73 designated counties in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Illinois, the Midwest HIDTA is designed to disrupt the market for illegal drugs throughout the “heartland” of America by identifying, targeting, and dismantling the most violent and prolific drug trafficking organizations operating in the Midwest.  Its goal is to enhance and facilitate the coordination of regional drug-control efforts among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies—through information and intelligence sharing, cooperative investigations, and joint operations—to reduce drug trafficking and its deadly consequences across the region.  The Midwest HIDTA currently supports 61 different initiatives across seven states, including 44 drug task forces, six domestic highway interdiction programs, and five intelligence initiatives.