Rapid City Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2023.

Ramon Morales-Padilla, 42, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Morales-Padilla was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in July of 2021. He pleaded guilty on January 27, 2023.

Between July of 2020 and July of 2021, Morales-Padilla obtained methamphetamine from co-conspirators. He further distributed it to others for use and distribution in Rapid City. During the conspiracy, he possessed dangerous weapons. It was reasonably foreseeable to Morales-Padilla that at least four kilograms of methamphetamine would be distributed during the course of the conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the Drug Enforcement Agency. UNET is 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. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina S. Nelson and Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

Morales-Padilla was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.