United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell reported that a Colorado woman, Patricia Rae Pacheco, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. The sentencing was handed down by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte on April 14, 2025.
Pacheco, also known as Patty Pacheco, is 35 years old. In addition to her prison term, she received five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The conviction stems from an indictment by a federal grand jury in August 2020, which charged Pacheco with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. She pleaded guilty to the charge on January 15, 2025.
The conspiracy involved distributing methamphetamine obtained from Colorado to her family and others in the South Dakota area, particularly the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation, over a five-year span from 2015 to 2020.
The investigation was conducted by several agencies, including the FBI, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Valentine Police Department in Nebraska.
Pacheco has been taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.