MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — A Rapid City man has been sentenced to 24 years and four months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons. The sentencing took place Oct. 27, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler.
Demitre Ecoffey, 31, was indicted in April 2025 and pleaded guilty on Aug. 13, 2025. Prosecutors say that throughout 2024 and 2025, Ecoffey purchased pound quantities of meth and distributed them across Rapid City and the Pine Ridge reservation.
During the investigation, authorities linked Ecoffey to dangerous behavior, including high-speed chases in both Rapid City and Pine Ridge, destruction of evidence, and possession of multiple firearms.
“Strong detective work and collaboration by all levels of law enforcement in the state have ensured that our citizens in western South Dakota will be protected from this dangerous individual for the next quarter century or so,” Parsons said.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a federal initiative combining resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods to combat drug trafficking and violent crime.
The investigation included the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, FBI, Rapid City Police Department, and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team. UNET includes personnel from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.
Ecoffey was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
