Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 10, 2020, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Adam Michael Tanner, age 47, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Tanner was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 10, 2019.  He pled guilty on May 19, 2020.

The conviction stemmed from a conspiracy that occurred between March 1, 2018, and September 10, 2019, in which Tanner and others, intentionally distributed over 1400 grams of methamphetamine in and around the Pierre and Ft. Pierre communities.  During the conspiracy, Tanner and others routinely carried firearms to protect their product.

Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity.  Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers.  It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement and local communities to develop effective, locally-based strategies to reduce violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s signature initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws. Initiated by the Attorney General in the fall of 2019, Project Guardian draws upon the Department’s past successful programs to reduce gun violence; enhances coordination of federal, state, local, and tribal authorities in investigating and prosecuting gun crimes; improves information-sharing by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives when a prohibited individual attempts to purchase a firearm and is denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), to include taking appropriate actions when a prospective purchaser is denied by the NICS for mental health reasons; and ensures that federal resources are directed at the criminals posing the greatest threat to our communities. For more information about Project Guardian, please see: https://www.justice.gov/projectguardian.

This case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pierre Police Department, the Stanley County Sheriff’s Office, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

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