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Press Release

Pierre Woman Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Pierre, South Dakota, woman convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on January 22, 2018, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Adele Tahsequah, age 35, was sentenced to 21 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Tahsequah was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 6, 2017, for Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  Tahsequah pled guilty on November 3, 2017.

On June 21, 2017, Tahsequah received a package delivered to her residence in Pierre by the U.S. Postal Service that contained 27.87 grams of methamphetamine.  The package was addressed to Tahsequah, and Tahsequah indicated that she had been expecting it.  Tahsequah admitted that she knew the package contained methamphetamine, and that she was intending to further distribute it within South Dakota.  That same day, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Tahsequah’s residence and located multiple scales and small plastic baggies within the residence.  Tahsequah admitted that the scales and baggies were utilized for the distribution of methamphetamine. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.

Tahsequah was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Updated February 1, 2018

Topic
Drug Trafficking