Husband and wife guilty of running interstate meth operation, face $10 million fine

A husband and wife duo was convicted by a jury for operating a South Dakota drug cell that trafficked methamphetamine across state borders from California and Mexico.

The United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota announced that a jury convicted 41-year-old Salvador Madrigal Jr. and his wife, 33-year-old Anahi Plascencia Cardona, after a four-day trial in a federal district court. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota, trial ended by convicting the pair of one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, which carries a fine of up to $10 million.

Madrigal Jr. and his wife were reportedly leaders of a South Dakota drug operation that trafficked hundreds of pounds of meth into the state. The husband-and-wife team worked alongside some of their family members, who helped them transport and traffic over a hundred pounds of the drugs, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The family members were also charged and convicted.

Madrigal Jr. involved his younger brother, Oscar Madrigal, who was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance in July 2022. He was sentenced to 120 months in custody.

As part of the family business, Madrigal Jr.'s mother, Rosa Madrigal, made multiple cash deposits to different institutions to try to launder their drug trafficking money. The mother received a 60-month sentence in August 2020 for conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.

Madrigal Jr.'s aunt, Maria Magana Zavala, and her husband, William Hartwick, were also implicated after they made a series of trips to and from California and South Dakota. This married team would transport methamphetamine, marijuana, and money. They were subsequently sentenced to 70 months in custody.

Other unnamed co-conspirators who acted as low-level distributors were also charged and sentenced in federal court.

Madrigal Jr. and his wife face hefty mandatory minimums for their crimes. For the charge of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, the minimum sentence is 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in custody and/or a $10,000,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

For their charge of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in custody and/or a $500,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Investigations were carried out by the DEA, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force.

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