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Press Release

Rapid City Man Sentenced to 16 Years and Eight Months in Federal Prison for Meth Trafficking

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

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 September 9, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.

Jay Paul Gallego, age 37, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Gallego was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in June of 2021.  He pleaded guilty on May 9, 2022.

Gallego, who resided in Rapid City, was a primary supplier of methamphetamine for multiple people in Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation.  He supplied methamphetamine to multiple individuals and coordinated and conspired with others as part of this drug trafficking conspiracy.  At times, Gallego was also involved in possessing and selling firearms as part of this conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina Nelson prosecuted the case.

Gallego was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Updated September 16, 2022

Topic
Drug Trafficking