A Rapid City man will spend the next decade in federal prison for running a fentanyl and meth distribution network across the region. Federal prosecutors say 27‑year‑old Ezra Bald Eagle built a drug pipeline between Colorado and Rapid City from late 2024 through May of last year.
Investigators say Bald Eagle regularly traveled to Colorado to buy large quantities of fentanyl and meth, then returned to South Dakota to distribute the drugs through a network of local dealers.
The operation came to an end on May 20th, 2025, when law enforcement stopped his vehicle on a return trip from Colorado. Officers seized more than 3,300 counterfeit fentanyl pills, 96 grams of fentanyl powder, and three‑quarters of a pound of meth.
Bald Eagle pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. He was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and must pay a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The case is part of a nationwide Department of Justice effort targeting drug trafficking and violent crime.
