Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced to Over 5 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Sioux Falls Area

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 27, 2026. Kourtney Lang, 33, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Lang was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in February 2025. She pleaded guilty on March 2, 2026. Lang was part of the Matthew Shade drug trafficking organization that obtained methamphetamine and fentanyl in Arizona and then distributed the drugs in South Dakota. Lang’s co-conspirators worked to get the methamphetamine to South Dakota through the mail and also by car. Once the methamphetamine was in South Dakota, Lang assisted her co-conspirators by working to distribute it to others and by collecting drug debts. In total, investigators believe that Lang was involved with distributing over eight pounds of methamphetamine throughout her involvement with the conspiracy. 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). This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case. Lang was ordered to self-surrender to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on August 17, 2026.