Las Vegas Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Meth in South Dakota
SIOUX FALLS - Jeffrey Skannal, 67, from Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100 after being convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Skannal was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026.
For several months in 2024, Skannal served as a member of a California-based drug trafficking organization that brought large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to South Dakota and used short-term rental properties as bases of operation to distribute the drugs in and around Sioux Falls. Skannal participated in the conspiracy by driving rental cars loaded with drugs from California to Sioux Falls; assisting in packaging the drugs for sale; and accompanying other members of the organization on sales to sub-distributors.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.
Skannal must self-surrender no later than noon on Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
