A Minnesota man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The sentencing of William Soudap Somphanthabansouk, 29, took place on November 10, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier in Sioux Falls.
Somphanthabansouk will also serve five years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2025 and pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025.
According to court records, Somphanthabansouk obtained methamphetamine from California by mail and distributed it in Sioux Falls and Western Minnesota. Investigators found that he had traveled to California early in 2025 and mailed himself a package containing drugs. Authorities stopped him on the interstate as he returned to Sioux Falls and discovered about 228 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded pistol in his vehicle. A subsequent search of his residence in Mountain Lake, Minnesota uncovered approximately 850 grams of methamphetamine and several firearms. Investigators estimate that Somphanthabansouk distributed roughly nine pounds of methamphetamine in the region.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Postal Inspection Service, and Worthington Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
“Operation Take Back America is 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).”
Somphanthabansouk was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
