Arizona Man Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a federal jury has convicted John Stanford Roth, age 58, of Glendale, Arizona, of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance - Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance - Fentanyl following a three-day trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on July 8, 2026.

The two conspiracy charges each carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life imprisonment, a $10 million dollar fine and at least five years up to life supervised release.

Roth was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2025.

Evidence at trial showed Roth worked with others as part of the drug trafficking organization headed by Matthew Shade to distribute cartel-sourced fentanyl and methamphetamine from Arizona to Sioux Falls and the surrounding area. Roth provided the drugs and other members of the conspiracy transported and sold them. The evidence revealed more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine was delivered to Sioux Falls for sale within approximately 8 months in 2024 and early 2025.

The organization's leader, Matthew Shade of Tea, pleaded guilty to his role in the conspiracy and was sentenced in early May of this year to serve more than 21 years in federal prison. To date, thirteen defendants have been indicted in connection with the Shade organization. Roth is the tenth defendant to have been convicted; three more indicted defendants are awaiting trial.

"The dominoes are crashing down for the members of this crooked drug trafficking organization," said U.S. Attorney Parsons. "This unanimous guilty verdict rendered by the jury, after carefully reviewing all the evidence, has tipped the scales toward justice even more."

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Investigations Service and the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office in conjunction with the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Connie Larson and Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Roth's sentencing is set for September 28, 2026. Following the guilty verdict, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.