OPERATION BLACK BOOK TARGETS ALLEGED MULTI-STATE COCAINE TRAFFICKING ORGANIZATION IN SOUTH DAKOTA AND COLORADO

RAPID CITY, S.D. — Fourteen people have been arrested and federally indicted following a coordinated investigation into an alleged multi-state drug-trafficking organization accused of transporting kilogram quantities of cocaine into western South Dakota, including communities within the Pine Ridge Reservation.

U.S. Attorney Ronald A. Parsons Jr. announced the results of Operation Black Book during a joint press conference held Tuesday, July 21, in Rapid City.

The federal investigation has resulted in the seizure of more than 37 firearms, over $61,000, and approximately five kilograms—or roughly 11 pounds—of cocaine allegedly intended for distribution in South Dakota.

Authorities have not released an estimated street value for the seized cocaine. Drug values can vary based on purity, location, distribution level, and how the substance is divided for resale.

Operation Black Book was led by the FBI Badlands Safe Trails Task Force in conjunction with the Drug Enforcement Administration and IRS Criminal Investigation.

The South Dakota National Guard Counter Drug Unit, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and Rapid City Police Department also assisted.

The Badlands Safe Trails Task Force includes investigators from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.

The first phase of the operation was conducted in Colorado on June 16. That phase resulted in the arrest of three people accused of supplying cocaine to the alleged South Dakota trafficking organization.

The second phase began during the early morning hours of July 21 and continued into the afternoon. Officers executed the coordinated operation throughout the Pine Ridge Reservation, Rapid City, and Box Elder, bringing the overall number of arrested defendants to 14.

All 14 defendants have been federally indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Some defendants face additional federal charges involving alleged financial crimes and firearm offenses connected to the suspected trafficking operation.

Authorities have not publicly identified which defendants face the additional financial or firearm counts. The specific charges against each person will be determined by the applicable federal indictment and subsequent court proceedings.

The defendants arrested in connection with Operation Black Book are:

• Wuttichai Chankaeo, 32, of Commerce City, Colorado
• Joseph Valdez, 49, of Westminster, Colorado
• Amber Bravo, 42, of Westminster, Colorado
• Zeno Rendon, 31, of Box Elder, South Dakota
• Deja Guthmiller, 23, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Mason Martin, 23, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Dylan Sanchez, 34, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Jarrian Ribitsch, 31, of Pine Ridge, South Dakota
• Laci Ribitsch, 32, of Pine Ridge, South Dakota
• Sara Clifford, 33, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Ryan Jones, 38, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Caleb Allard, 35, of Rapid City, South Dakota
• Savannah Backward, 31, of Pine Ridge, South Dakota
• Evan Sanchez, 33, of Rapid City, South Dakota

The conspiracy charge alleges that the defendants agreed to participate in the unlawful distribution of cocaine. A conspiracy prosecution does not require every defendant to have performed the same act or held the same position within the suspected organization. Prosecutors must establish each defendant’s knowing participation in the charged agreement beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation remains active. Federal authorities stated that additional charges may be considered as investigators examine the organization’s alleged supply routes, distribution activity, firearm possession, financial transactions, and other conduct.

FBI Director Kash Patel said the operation targeted individuals accused of transporting narcotics into Pine Ridge and surrounding Tribal communities. Patel also connected the investigation to Operation Steadfast Promise, an FBI initiative launched in April to direct additional personnel and investigative resources toward violent crime in Indian Country.

According to Patel, the FBI has assigned more than 400 agents and staff members to work involving Indian Country and expanded the number of Safe Trails Task Forces to 29. Those efforts involve partnerships serving 575 federally recognized Tribes across the United States.

Christopher D. Dotson, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Minneapolis Field Office, said Operation Black Book represents one part of the bureau’s wider commitment to Tribal communities under Operation Steadfast Promise.

Dotson credited sustained cooperation among federal, state, local, and Tribal investigators with producing the arrests and seizures. He said FBI personnel and task-force members continue working in Tribal communities against gangs, drug traffickers, violent offenders, and transnational criminal organizations.

U.S. Attorney Parsons described the investigation as a complex operation directed at dismantling an alleged drug-trafficking network. He credited the participating agencies with coordinating arrests across multiple jurisdictions while collecting evidence connected to the organization’s suspected distribution and financial activity.

IRS Criminal Investigation participated because drug-trafficking organizations depend on financial systems to receive, move, conceal, and spend proceeds generated through illegal sales.

William Steenson, special agent in charge of the IRS-CI St. Louis Field Office, said the agency’s role centers on following the money and using financial-investigative expertise to help disrupt criminal organizations.

Financial evidence can assist investigators in identifying suspected proceeds, transfers, assets, payment methods, participants, and connections among members of an alleged organization. The presence of IRS-CI does not establish that every defendant committed a financial offense.

Dustin Gillespie, special agent in charge of the DEA’s Omaha Field Division, said the agency follows drug investigations across jurisdictional boundaries and works with partner agencies to remove individuals accused of profiting from dangerous substances.

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley credited the arrests to cooperation among federal, state, Tribal, and local law-enforcement agencies. He said the joint effort was directed at removing illegal drugs from communities and improving public safety.

Tom Atkinson, deputy associate director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, recognized the cooperation among BIA investigators, the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, DEA, and Oglala Sioux Tribe.

Operation Black Book is being conducted as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative combining federal resources directed at violent crime, illegal drug trafficking, cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and immigration-related offenses.

The initiative also coordinates resources associated with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

Operation Steadfast Promise is a separate FBI resource initiative addressing violent-crime threats in Tribal communities. Its areas of focus include criminal organizations, gangs, violent crimes against children, and the apprehension of fugitives.

No convictions have been obtained through the indictments announced in Operation Black Book. An indictment contains accusations and does not establish guilt.

Wuttichai Chankaeo, Joseph Valdez, Amber Bravo, Zeno Rendon, Deja Guthmiller, Mason Martin, Dylan Sanchez, Jarrian Ribitsch, Laci Ribitsch, Sara Clifford, Ryan Jones, Caleb Allard, Savannah Backward, and Evan Sanchez are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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