Chippewa Falls Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Shaun Ciokiewicz, 39, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, was sentenced February 2, 2026 by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 8 years in federal prison for possessing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine intended for distribution. Ciokiewicz pleaded guilty to this charge on October 27, 2025.

In November and December 2024, officers with the West Central Drug Task Force received information that Ciokiewicz was selling methamphetamine. He was stopped by police on his way to a suspected drug transaction and arrested on active warrants.

While searching Ciokiewicz upon his arrest, officers found a baggie with 5.5 grams of methamphetamine in his pocket. In the vehicle, officers found a bag with 55 smaller baggies containing 193.2 grams of methamphetamine.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted the amount of drugs discovered in the traffic stop was "just a sample" of Ciokiewicz's overall distribution. In arriving at an 8-year sentence, Judge Peterson commented that Ciokiewicz wasn't a "benign meth user," instead Ciokiewicz's behavior had escalated to "really serious behavior" that presented a danger to the community.

The charge against Ciokiewicz was the result of an investigation conducted by the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office, the West Central Drug Task Force, the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Remington prosecuted this case.

Federal prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice involving drugs and guns are part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Operation Take Back America. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, 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).