United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on Aug. 19, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Justin Coyle, age 36, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Coyle was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September of 2020. He pleaded guilty on May 20, 2022. Coyle was part of a conspiracy responsible for distributing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine in western South Dakota. Several times he wired money for methamphetamine to Mexico for the conspiracy to receive additional methamphetamine. He also helped facilitate the transport of the drugs to South Dakota, which he assisted in selling.
This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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 National Guard, and South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Coyle was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.