Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over 24 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine in Rapid City and on the Pine Ridge Reservation

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  The sentencing took place on October 27, 2025.

Demitre Ecoffey, 31, was sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Ecoffey was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in April 2025.  He pleaded guilty on August 13, 2025.

Throughout 2024 and 2025, Ecoffey was purchasing pound quantities of methamphetamine and selling it to others throughout Rapid City and the Pine Ridge reservation.  During his involvement in the drug conspiracy, Ecoffey engaged in dangerous conduct such as high-speed chases through Rapid City and the Pine Ridge reservation, destruction of evidence, and possessing multiple firearms.

“Strong detective work and collaboration by all levels of law enforcement in the state have ensured that our citizens in western South Dakota will be protected from this dangerous individual for the next quarter century or so,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Division of Drug Enforcement (BIA), the FBI, Rapid City Police Department and 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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.

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