A federal judge has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Cory Croyle, 37, was sentenced to 33 years and four months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Croyle was indicted for two counts of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 20, 2024. The conviction stems from Croyle and others distributing large quantities of fentanyl and heroin in the Rapid City area between 2021 and 2023. In sentencing Croyle, Judge Schreier noted the conspiracy involved one of the larger quantities of drugs she has seen in her decades on the bench. The conspiracy led to the death of a community member. Croyle knew the deadly risks of distributing fentanyl, and yet he continued to sell the substance, even though he was on state parole at the time of the offense. The judge further found Croyle’s significant role in the conspiracy and his attempts to obstruct the investigation justified a sentence of over 33 years. This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.