HSI investigation into drug conspiracy leads to 10 years prison term for South Dakota man

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — An eastern South Dakota man was convicted on a drug conspiracy charge Nov. 1 and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force.

Ashton Aman, 37, of Sioux Falls, was sentenced before U.S. District Court Judge Karen Schreier to 10 years in federal prison, for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Aman was previously indicted on the charge by a federal grand jury Feb. 2. He was arrested by a U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force Feb. 4 and later pleaded guilty July 12.

The conspiracy involved the smuggling of methamphetamine from Mexico to Texas, with further transportation to South Dakota for distribution. The total conspiracy involved approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine.

Aman’s plea agreement, and other court records, show that beginning on an unknown date and continuing until on or about early February 2021, in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere, Aman knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed, with others known and unknown, to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Aman distributed more than 500 grams of methamphetamine to co-conspirators, which was later re-distributed to their own customers in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere.

Aman’s prison sentence will be followed by 5 years of supervised release, and he must also pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Nash prosecuted the case.

Upon sentencing, Aman was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

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