A Delano, California man has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Sioux Falls area. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence to Michael Thomas, 51, on November 3, 2025.
Thomas will also serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term and must pay a fine and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to United States Attorney Ron Parsons, Thomas was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023 on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He pleaded guilty on August 11, 2025.
Federal investigators from the FBI and Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office uncovered that Thomas was coordinating shipments of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills from California while he was incarcerated in a California prison. Working with another inmate, Thomas arranged for large quantities of drugs—sometimes as much as 100 pounds of methamphetamine at once—to be shipped by semi-truck to Sioux Falls and other locations.
Authorities determined that the drug trafficking organization led by Thomas operated across several states including California, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, and West Virginia. Investigators estimate that during his involvement in the conspiracy, Thomas organized shipments totaling between 300-400 pounds of methamphetamine and over 100,000 fentanyl-containing pills. So far, fifteen individuals connected to this operation have been convicted and sentenced to federal prison in South Dakota.
“This case was investigated by the FBI, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force,” said officials. “Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.”
Following sentencing, Thomas was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
