Sioux Empire Today

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that two women from South Dakota have been sentenced for their involvement in a large-scale drug conspiracy. The sentencing was carried out by District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier on July 11, 2025.

Veronica Ortega, aged 48, received a sentence of 24 years and four months in federal prison. This will be followed by five years of supervised release. She is also required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Paige Sierra, aged 33, was sentenced to 11 years and nine months in federal prison, with an additional five years of supervised release. Like Ortega, she must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Both women were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Ortega entered her guilty plea on April 28, 2025, while Sierra pleaded guilty earlier on April 2, 2025.

The conspiracy took place between January 2022 and February 2024 and involved distributing methamphetamine across South Dakota, including Rapid City and the Pine Ridge Reservation. Methamphetamine was transported from Denver, Colorado to South Dakota with Sierra occasionally assisting in its transportation. Upon arrival in Rapid City, both Ortega and Sierra obtained distributable quantities of methamphetamine for redistribution.

The investigation involved multiple agencies: Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and the North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson led the prosecution.

Following their sentencing, Ortega and Sierra were placed into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.