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Press Release

Rapid City Man Sentenced to 2 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Jeffrey Cooley, age 36, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Cooley was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 and pleaded guilty on September 20, 2024.

Cooley was part of a drug conspiracy to distribute cocaine in South Dakota. He obtained the cocaine from a co-conspirator on multiple occasions and distributed it to others in South Dakota. The co-conspirator would send packages containing cocaine to Cooley’s home. In April 2023, law enforcement intercepted one of these packages, which contained approximately half a pound of cocaine. In total, the group moved multiple kilograms of cocaine during Cooley’s involvement.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team from Rapid City, and the Internal Revenue Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Cooley was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.

Updated December 17, 2024

Topic
Drug Trafficking