The Narco Blog

30 Years for Glendale, Arizona, Supplier of ‘Cartel-Sourced’ Meth and Fentanyl: Prosecutors Say 150+ Pounds Reached Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 8 Months

By The Narco Blog · September 30, 2026 · Updated September 30, 2026

Arched red-granite entrance of the United States Court House at 400 S. Phillips Avenue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, flanked by two lamp posts. — The U.S. Court House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where John Roth was tried and sentenced. This photo is not from the sentencing; it was taken in 2022. Photo: Tony Webster, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).

A federal judge in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has sentenced John Stanford Roth, 58, of Glendale, Arizona, to 30 years in prison. Prosecutors called him the Arizona-based supplier for a Sioux Falls drug ring that moved “Cartel-sourced fentanyl and methamphetamine in bulk quantities across the border from Mexico, into Arizona, and then up to Sioux Falls,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota said on Sept. 30, 2026. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier imposed the sentence on Sept. 28.

From Arizona to South Dakota

According to the Sept. 30 release, evidence at trial showed Roth supplied the drugs and other members of the conspiracy transported and sold them. More than 150 pounds of methamphetamine reached Sioux Falls for sale in about eight months in 2024 and early 2025. The office’s July 9, 2026, announcement of his conviction gave a higher figure for the same period: more than 200 pounds. Prosecutors did not name a specific cartel in either release.

The ring was led by Matthew Shade, 48, of Tea, South Dakota. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced in May to 21 years and 6 months. In the May 5 release on his case, prosecutors said the group shipped drugs and cash through the U.S. Mail and on cross-country car trips. They also said a South Dakota Highway Patrol trooper stopped the car of Shade’s Arizona-based source of supply and found about 26 pounds of meth and more than 2,000 fentanyl pills. That release does not name the driver.

Aerial view from an airplane window over Glendale, Arizona, showing a grid of subdivisions, farm fields and a domed stadium, with mountains on the horizon. — Glendale, Arizona, seen from the air, where prosecutors say Roth was based. This is a file photo and is not from the case. Photo: Ken Lund, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Verdict and sentence

A jury convicted Roth on July 8, 2026, after a three-day trial. He was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute fentanyl; each count carries a 10-year mandatory minimum. On top of the 30 years, he received five years of supervised release. “Of thirteen defendants in this conspiracy, he is one of the last to be sentenced,” U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case with the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force.

The case is one of many tracing Mexican drugs through Arizona; see our Arizona cartel case tracker.

Sources

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota: “Arizona Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl and More Than 150 Pounds of Methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls Area” (Sept. 30, 2026)
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota: “Arizona Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl” (July 9, 2026)
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of South Dakota: “Tea Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison…” (May 5, 2026)
Dakota News Now: “Arizona man sentenced to 30 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl, meth into Sioux Falls” (Sept. 30, 2026)
Photos: Tony Webster (CC BY 2.0) and Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

Reported Sept. 30, 2026, from U.S. Attorney’s Office releases and Dakota News Now. Prosecutors did not identify which cartel supplied the drugs, and The Narco Blog does not name one. The conflicting 150- and 200-pound figures both come from the same office.