Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on November 4, 2024.

Jaden Rae Lalley-Mestas, age 24, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Lalley-Mestas was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 16, 2024.

The conviction stemmed from a package seizure that occurred in April of 2023 when law enforcement discovered that approximately six pounds of methamphetamine was shipped in a package destined for Lalley-Mestas' home. Agents later examined the contents of Lalley-Mestas' phone pursuant to a search warrant and discovered that he was working with others to receive the package and provide it to another co-conspirator.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Lalley-Mestas was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.