SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - (KELO.com) United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that Jaunte Lamar Berry, age 31, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, was sentenced to 25 years in prison on April 23, 2018, by U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Berry’s time in prison will be followed by four years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victim’s Fund. Berry was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 6, 2017. He pled guilty on October 16, 2017.
The investigation of Berry revealed his leadership of a drug ring that was responsible for utilizing the U.S. Postal Service to mail several pounds of methamphetamine and marijuana from Sacramento, California, to Sioux Falls. A search warrant was executed at Berry’s residence in Sioux Falls, where law enforcement located approximately 68 grams of methamphetamine, over one and a half pounds of marijuana, and a firearm. The District Court found that Berry took advantage of multiple women he was romantically involved with to act as assistants to his drug dealing scheme, and that the drug ring was Berry’s primary source of income while he was involved.
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer D. Mammenga prosecuted the case.