PINE RIDGE, S.D. - A 29-year-old Pine Ridge woman has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months in federal prison for distributing significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City, South Dakota. Stella Caldwell was convicted of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after authorities determined she played a supervisory role in the operation. Caldwell helped move methamphetamine from co-conspirators to lower-level distributors, facilitating its spread throughout the region.

During sentencing, Judge Karen Schreier condemned Caldwell’s actions for the harm they caused to the community. She also emphasized that the meth Caldwell was distributing came from Mexican cartels and was 100 percent pure.

The case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Caldwell was indicted by a federal grand jury in February and pleaded guilty in December.