A federal jury has convicted 58 year old John Stanford Roth 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.
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 of supervised release.
The U-S Attorney’s Office reported evidence at trial showed Roth worked with others as part of the drug trafficking organization headed by Matthew Shade of Tea 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.
Roth’s sentencing is set for September 28th. Following the guilty verdict, he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.