Rapid City Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 1, 2025.

Tyler Schmidt, 31, was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Schmidt was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. He pleaded guilty on July 11, 2025.

Between October 2021 and November 2024, Schmidt and others were involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Rapid City, SD, area. Schmidt routinely traveled to other states to purchase multiple pounds of methamphetamine at a time. Schmidt would then transport the methamphetamine into South Dakota and work with others to sell the methamphetamine in Rapid City. Law enforcement seized over eight pounds of methamphetamine during the investigation.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET). UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard Counter Drug Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.

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