Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

DOJ seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell, United States Attorney
www.justice.gov/usao-sd
For Immediate Release
Friday, May 13, 2022

Rapid City Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on May 10, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.

Aynjel Schumacher, age 27, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Schumacher was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on June 11, 2020. She pleaded guilty on December 9, 2020.

Schumacher was responsible for distributing between 15 and 45 kilograms of methamphetamine in western South Dakota. She brought methamphetamine from Nebraska and recruited others to transport the methamphetamine for her between September 2019 and April 2020. Schumacher also arranged for people to transport bulk cash as payment for the methamphetamine and to send money to the supplier via currency services such as Western Union. Schumacher possessed firearms on numerous occasions during the conspiracy and used a firearm to threaten a co-conspirator. At the time she was leading this conspiracy, Schumacher was on parole with the State of South Dakota. Others charged in the conspiracy have trial and sentencing dates pending.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota National Guard, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

Schumacher was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

ATF.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of Justice

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov