SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – A man from Fresno, California, has been convicted of Conspiracy to distribute a Controlled Substance after being caught moving drugs through South Dakota.
Alonso Molina-Corona, 43, was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Molina-Corona was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in August of 2025 and pleaded guilty in March of 2026.
The charges stem from when Molina-Corona was stopped by a highway patrol officer on I-90 back in 2025, and over 92 kilograms (approximately 200 pounds) of meth were found inside his vehicle.
He was transporting drugs from the West Coast for Midwest distribution as part of a conspiracy, and was identified as a drug courier.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and safeguarding communities from violent crime.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol investigated this case.
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