Eau Claire Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Methamphetamine Trafficking

MADISON, WIS. - Chadwick M. Elgersma, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that John A. Soung, 48, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 10 years in federal prison for possessing methamphetamine intended for distribution. The prison term will be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Soung pleaded guilty to this charge on June 5, 2025.

In July 2024, investigators received information from a confidential source that a large quantity of methamphetamine was being stored inside a storage unit in Eau Claire. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the storage unit and found a backpack with approximately six pounds of methamphetamine inside. Records showed that Soung rented the storage unit, and he ultimately admitted that he used it to store methamphetamine for distribution around the Eau Claire area. On July 12, 2024, Soung was arrested during a traffic stop and inside the car, officers found a 9mm handgun that Soung later admitted was his. Soung is prohibited from legally possessing firearms because of prior felony convictions.

In handing down Soung's substantial sentence, Judge Conley recognized that this case represented a "great escalation" in Soung's history of methamphetamine dealing. Judge Conley also noted that Soung was illegally possessing a firearm while regularly distributing methamphetamine.

The charge against Soung was the result of an investigation conducted by the West Central Drug Task Force, Eau Claire Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Clark County Sheriff's Department. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force also assisted with the case. The ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consists of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers from state and local agencies throughout the Western District of Wisconsin. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.

Federal criminal cases involving drugs and firearms are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), 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).