Fort Thompson Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Central South Dakota

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on June 23, 2025.

Weston Big Eagle, age 47, was sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine, as well as a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Big Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 19, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy beginning in January 2023 and continuing until December 2023. Big Eagle was involved in a conspiracy with several other individuals to distribute methamphetamine in and around the central South Dakota area, including within the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations. As part of the conspiracy, Big Eagle was involved in distributing over 500 grams of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

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