A 30-year-old man from Pierre convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced in federal court this week (Feb. 10).
Andrew Bunch was sentenced to 324 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release and a $1,000 fine.
The conviction stemmed from a conspiracy beginning in the spring of 2018 and continuing through May 2019, in which Bunch, his friend Nathan Thoe (deceased), Nikki Hopkins and others, intentionally distributed and possessed with intent to distribute 2.2 kilograms of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance in and around the Pierre and Fort Pierre areas.
During the course of the conspiracy, Bunch, Thoe and Hopkins made
numerous trips to Colorado to obtain methamphetamine. Bunch and Thoe routinely carried firearms on these trips and used firearms to protect their product.
Hopkins was sentenced on January 27, 2020, to 10 years in federal prison.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This case is also part of Project Guardian, the Department of Justice’s initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws.
Bunch was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
