Appeals Court Upholds 30‑Year Sentence in Major South Dakota Fentanyl Case
- Steve Jurrens
- May 8
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – South Dakota - The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has affirmed a federal prison sentence of more than 30 years for Edwin Giovanni Salinas, a 47‑year‑old man from El Salvador convicted of trafficking roughly 16 pounds of fentanyl through northeastern South Dakota.
Salinas was found guilty by a federal jury in Aberdeen of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann to 365 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to court documents, Salinas left Los Angeles carrying a backpack filled with three pounds of pure fentanyl powder and nearly 50,000 counterfeit pills laced with horse tranquilizer — drugs valued at about $2 million. He was stopped near the Lake Traverse Indian Reservation by officers from the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office and Sisseton‑Wahpeton Oyate Law Enforcement, who discovered the narcotics.
Judge Kornmann noted at sentencing that Salinas possessed “enough fentanyl to kill 500,000 people,” calling it one of the largest drug busts in South Dakota history. The appellate court also upheld a sentencing enhancement for threats Salinas made against his co‑defendant while in custody.
“This case is closed,” said U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons, praising the “incredible vigilance and professionalism” of the officers whose actions “unquestionably saved lives.”
The investigation involved the Sisseton‑Wahpeton Oyate Law Enforcement, Roberts County Sheriff’s Office, BIA Division of Drug Enforcement, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The DEA reports that fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans ages 18 to 45, with most of the drug and its precursors originating from China and trafficked by the Sinaloa and Jalisco cartels.
