Rapid City Man Sentenced to 10 years for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in district court in Rapid City, South Dakota, has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Ike Sowder, 41 was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Sowder was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2023.

Beginning around June of 2022, Sowder became involved with co-conspirators in obtaining counterfeit fentanyl pills. Co-conspirators brought the fentanyl to western South Dakota and Sowder actively distributed the fentanyl to others for use and distribution. It was reasonably foreseeable to Sowder that between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl would be distributed during the course of the conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard.

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