Press Release
☷Three of Four Co Conspirators Sentenced in Fentanyl Meth and Firearms Conspiracy
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives ( By Press Release office)
Feb 17,2024
| 13| 0
In Sioux Falls , South Dakota , U . S . Attorney Alison J . Ramsdell announced today that U . S . District Judge Karen E . Schreier has sentenced three defendants for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person . Antoine Ray Thomas , 39 , from San Francisco , California , got a 20 - year sentence in federal prison on Feb . 12 , followed by five years of supervised release . He also has to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund . Antoine was found guilty of Conspiracy to Distribute over 500 grams of Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person . Tyrin Thomas , Jr . , 28 , from Sioux Falls , received a 27 - year sentence in federal prison on Feb . 5 , followed by five years of supervised release . He also has to pay a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund . Tyrin was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute over 500 grams of Methamphetamine . Lyric Christina Simon Tschetter , 26 , also from Sioux Falls , got a 12 - year and two - month sentence in federal prison on Feb . 9 , followed by five years of supervised release . She also has to pay a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund . Lyric was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute over 400 grams of Fentanyl . All three defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2022 . Antoine Ray Thomas pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person on Nov . 8 , 2023; Tyrin Thomas , Jr . pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on Oct . 27 , 2023; and Lyric Christina Simon Tschetter pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl on Nov . 21 , 2023 . A fourth defendant , Stevie Thomas , was indicted in this conspiracy on Sept . 12 , 2023 , on the charges of Conspiracy to Distribute 500 Grams or more of Methamphetamine , Conspiracy to Distribute 400 Grams or more of Fentanyl , and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments . He is set for trial in May 2024 . These defendants were running a big methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution organization in South Dakota . They were getting their supply from California , which was then sourced from Mexico . This conspiracy involved fifty pounds of methamphetamine , hundreds of fentanyl pills , and several firearms and ammunition . This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods ( PSN ) , the main focus of the Department of Justice ' s efforts to reduce violent crime . PSN is a proven program that effectively reduces violent crime . Through PSN , a wide range of stakeholders collaborate to identify and address the most pressing violent crime problems in the community . As part of their strategy , PSN targets the most violent offenders and works with local prevention and reentry programs to reduce crime long - term . The FBI , ATF , Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office , and Sioux Falls Police Department all worked on this case . Assistant U . S . Attorneys Elizabeth Ebert and Mark Hodges handled the prosecution , and all three defendants were taken into custody by the U . S . Marshals Service right away .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information:
Direct link to press release:
Click here .