A Kansas woman has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving methamphetamine and fentanyl in South Dakota. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell, with U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier presiding over the case on September 29, 2025.
Amanda Acosta, age 43, of Prairie Village, Kansas, received the prison sentence along with five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Acosta had been indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025 on charges of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and pleaded guilty on July 17, 2025.
According to court records, Acosta became involved with a California-based drug trafficking organization operating out of Sioux Falls in July 2024. She acted as a sub-distributor for the group by purchasing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl and selling them for profit throughout Sioux Falls and other parts of South Dakota. The organization also shipped packages containing fentanyl pills directly to her residence through the mail. Her involvement ended with her arrest in September 2024.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell in a statement. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.”
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuting the case.
After sentencing, Acosta was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
