Eighth Circuit Upholds 30-Year Sentence for El Salvador Man in 16-Pound Fentanyl Case

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a federal prison sentence of more than 30 years for an El Salvador man convicted by a jury in Aberdeen, South Dakota, of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, the U.S. Attorney for South Dakota announced on May 7, 2026.

U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann imposed the sentence on September 15, 2025, at the federal courthouse in Aberdeen. The defendant was convicted of offenses involving 16 pounds of fentanyl. The appeal was argued March 19, 2026, at the federal courthouse in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Eighth Circuit issued its opinion and judgment on May 7, 2026, per a Department of Justice release.

The ruling affects federal fentanyl prosecutions in the Eighth Circuit, which covers South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. The 16 pounds of fentanyl at issue in the case represent a quantity capable of producing hundreds of thousands of lethal doses, based on standard Drug Enforcement Administration potency estimates for illicit fentanyl.

The affirmation changes the operational status of the sentence from pending appeal to final and executable. The defendant must now serve the full term in federal prison with no further delay from this litigation. The decision takes effect immediately upon issuance of the mandate under standard Eighth Circuit procedure.

Downstream, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons must execute the 30-year sentence without modification. Federal prosecutors in the District of South Dakota gain a binding appellate precedent they can cite in future fentanyl conspiracy sentencings to support lengthy terms.

Defense attorneys in the circuit must adjust strategy on appeal of similar convictions, knowing the Eighth Circuit has upheld the district court's application of sentencing guidelines to large-quantity fentanyl cases. The ruling also triggers potential immigration consequences, including removal proceedings after sentence completion, as the offenses qualify as aggravated felonies under immigration statute.

This is the latest in a series of federal fentanyl distribution convictions secured in rural South Dakota districts where drugs are trafficked through interstate highways. The original jury verdict and sentence occurred under the Biden administration's continued emphasis on charging both possession and conspiracy counts in single-defendant cross-border cases.