A traffic stop on Interstate 90 ended with South Dakota state troopers seizing more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine — the largest drug bust in the agency’s history — and a suspect now facing deportation.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol apprehended a 42-year-old man who was stopped for speeding near Sturgis when a search of the vehicle turned up more than $12 million worth of narcotics, according to the governor’s office.
According to the Highway Patrol, the driver — referred to as a “non-citizen” in a state-issued news release — began exhibiting behaviors consistent with criminal activity when a police dog enlisted to continue a roadside investigation detected the presence of drugs. He faces state charges of felony distribution-manufacturing of a controlled substance, felony possession of a controlled drug and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Department of Public Safety, under which the Highway Patrol operates, declined to release any additional details about the individual arrested — including name or country of origin.
“We are not releasing the name due to ongoing investigation concerns,” a DPS spokesperson wrote in an email to The Dakota Scout.
The arrest marks the eighth time since South Dakota entered into a 287(g) agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the Highway Patrol has intercepted a non-citizen during a traffic stop, according to the governor’s office. The agreement is part of Gov. Larry Rhoden’s Operation: Prairie Thunder, a statewide initiative that enlists the patrol to work closely with ICE in transferring certain individuals to federal custody.
The bust drew assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Meade County Sheriff’s Office and the Rapid City Police Department.
