MITCHELL, SD (Mitchell Now) — Two men have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms for their roles in a fentanyl trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that moved tens of thousands of pills into South Dakota, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier issued the sentences on Dec. 1, 2025.

Fame Cobbs, 40, of Sioux Falls, received 24 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $200 special assessment. Cobbs was additionally sentenced in a separate case for Assault on a Federal Officer, receiving 18 months to run concurrently with the drug sentence.

Mario Taylor, 34, of Phoenix, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release, along with a $200 special assessment.

Federal prosecutors said Taylor supplied thousands of fentanyl pills from Arizona, mailing packages to Cobbs and others in the Sioux Falls area. Investigators identified approximately 18 packages, each containing between 2,000 and 4,000 pills. In total, authorities estimate the conspiracy trafficked roughly 35,000 fentanyl pills. Cobbs collected money from area distributors and returned proceeds to Taylor, often using the Cash App electronic payment system.

Cobbs’ criminal conduct continued even after his arrest, prosecutors said. While housed in the Minnehaha County Jail, he engaged in multiple incidents of assaultive behavior, including flooding his cell and injuring an officer during a struggle.

“These sentences reflect a simple truth: if you traffic fentanyl in South Dakota, you will end up behind bars for a long time,” U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons said in the announcement.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, IRS–Criminal Investigations, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hodges and Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case. Both defendants were remanded to federal custody.