Rapid City Woman Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela T. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on November 10, 2026.

Nicole Catches, 41, was sentenced to nine years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Catches was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in October 2025 and pleaded guilty on May 18, 2026.

Between July and September 2026, the defendant was a member of a conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs in Rapid City. During the conspiracy, the defendant traveled with co-conspirators to their source of supply in Colorado. There, they obtained a variety of illegal drugs they meant to bring back and sell in South Dakota. In September 2026, the defendant and her co-conspirators were driving back from Colorado and were stopped by law enforcement. When they searched the vehicle, officers found approximately 7,500 fentanyl pills, two pounds of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, heroin, cocaine, more than $6,000 in cash, and a stolen pistol. The defendant and her co-conspirators intended to distribute these drugs in South Dakota.

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 Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the Drug Enforcement Administration. UNET is comprised of law enforcement officers from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, the Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Catches was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.