Tea Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Bags of Fentanyl and Hundreds of Pounds of Methamphetamine in Sioux Falls Area

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Tea, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on May 4, 2026.

Matthew Shade, 48, was sentenced to 21 years and 6 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.

Shade was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 10, 2026.

"This was another skillfully managed takedown of a serial drug dealer and his operation by the dedicated officers on the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, with a strong assist from the Criminal Investigations Unit of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service," said U.S. Attorney Parsons. "In all likelihood, the fentanyl and methamphetamine seized from this criminal's operation would have killed some people who are alive right now in Sioux Falls. This investigation, prosecution, and substantial federal prison sentence has given them another chance at life. I will never stop being grateful for that."

Shade was the local leader of a drug trafficking organization that obtained methamphetamine and fentanyl from Arizona and distributed those drugs throughout South Dakota. The group trafficked the drugs both through the U.S. Mail and via cross-country car trips. Investigators became aware of the group and seized a methamphetamine-laden package that contained over four pounds of methamphetamine in December 2024. Investigators later seized two parcels sent from Sioux Falls to Arizona that contained a combined total of approximately $26,000. Eventually, investigators became aware that Shade's Arizona-based source of supply was traveling by car to South Dakota and arranged to have the South Dakota Highway Patrol conduct a traffic stop. A trooper thereafter stopped and searched the vehicle, wherein he found approximately 26 pounds of methamphetamine and over 2,000 fentanyl pills. Investigators then discovered that Shade had traveled to Arizona and they thereafter intercepted a package bound for Sioux Falls that was found to contain 144 grams of fentanyl powder. Investigators obtained a warrant for Shade's residence in Tea and found 80 grams of methamphetamine, 22 fentanyl pills, scales, and various other narcotics.

The investigation ultimately revealed that Shade was responsible for organizing shipments of methamphetamine and cash between Sioux Falls and Arizona. He also had multiple sub-distributors to whom he provided methamphetamine for redistribution. In total, investigators believe that Shade and his group were responsible for trafficking approximately 200 pounds of methamphetamine to the Sioux Falls area from Arizona.

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force and the United States Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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