Operation Eagle Eye: Thirteen Individuals Indicted for Drug Trafficking in Jackson and Shannon County
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that 13 individuals have been indicted by a federal grand jury for drug conspiracy and distribution offenses alleged to have occurred in Jackson County and Shannon County at various times October 2008 through July 2012.
The charges are a result of Operation Eagle Eye, a controlled substances investigation conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, whose member agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Pierre Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe – Department of Public Safety. In addition to Task Force members, other agencies assisting in the arrests were the ATF, the Martin Police Department, the U.S. Marshal's Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
The individuals charged include the following:
- Anita Lucine Brown, 58, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. If convicted, Brown could face a maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both.
- Reed Thomas Brown, Jr., (a/k/a "Baby Reed"), 37, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana. If convicted, Brown could face a maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both.
- Clifford Wayne Richards, Jr., (a/k/a "Beaver) 56, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and three counts of distribution of marijuana. If convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, Richards could face a maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, or both. If convicted of marijuana distribution, Richards could face a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
- Gerald Baker, Sr., 27, of Interior – charged with one count of distributing marijuana in a school zone. In convicted, Baker could face a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.
- Casey Bettelyoun, 31, of Wanblee – charged with one count of distributing a substance or mixture containing methamphetamine in a school zone. If convicted, Bettelyoun could face a maximum sentence of 40 years' imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, or both.
- Roger Bettelyoun, 56, of Wanblee – charged with four counts of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Bettelyoun could face a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.
- Royce Gone, 32, of Wanblee – charged with one count of distributing marijuana in a school zone. If convicted, Gone could face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
- Jordan Long Soldier, 40, of Wanblee – charged with two counts of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Long Solider could face a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
- Angel Provincial, 22, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. If convicted, Provincial could face a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
- Robert Provincial, 32, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. If convicted, Provincial could face a maximum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment, a $1,000,000 fine, or both.
- Howard Red Elk, 45, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in public housing. If convicted, Red Elk could face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, or both.
- Tyson Red Elk, 22, of Wanblee – charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute marijuana in public housing. If convicted, Red Elk could face a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment, a $500,000 fine, or both.
- Virgil Red Elk, 30, of Wanblee - charged with one count of distributing marijuana. If convicted, Red Elk could face a maximum sentence of 5 years' imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both.
No further details regarding the cases will be available until the individuals have appeared in federal court. The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and all of the individuals named in the indictment are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ted McBride.
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