Montana
US Attorney announces dismantling of meth-trafficking ring based on Crow Reservation • Daily Montanan
Twenty-seven people were convicted as part of a broad meth and fentanyl-trafficking ring based on the Crow Indian Reservation but tied to three other reservations in Montana, as well as Washington state and Mexico, Montana’s U.S. Attorney announced Thursday.
U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Jesse Laslovich said the operation to target the drug-trafficking ring Spear Siding was one of the largest drug trafficking investigations in Montana in recent years. It started in June 2022 and ended in a raid in April 2023. Laslovich announced the convictions at a news conference in Billings on Thursday.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and federal court documents, two homes on the Crow Reservation, one of them called Spear Siding, where some of the top dealers lived, were the center of the trafficking ring and dealt meth on the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations in southeastern Montana.
But the ring also expanded to Rocky Boy’s and the Fort Belknap reservations and into Billings and Havre. The conspirators would trade drugs for pounds of meth and guns at the Spear Siding property, and sent proceeds from the drug sales to Washington, California, and Mexico, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“The Spear Siding trafficking organization moved onto the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations to exploit and prey on persons addicted to meth and fentanyl, all due to greed. While meth and fentanyl distribution impacts all of Montana, these drugs continue to disproportionately devastate Indian Country,” Laslovich said in a statement. “As this Spear Siding investigation shows, Montana’s Indian reservations are not a safe haven for out-of-state traffickers who think they can move in, set up shop, and enlist local residents to peddle drugs.”
Twenty-seven people pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, firearms crimes, or both, his office said. Two alleged co-conspirators are still on the run, including one of the top-level people behind the operation.
Wendell Lefthand and his sister Frederica Lefthand, who both lived at the Spear Siding home, each had a hand in running the operation. Wendell Lefthand initially was running the operation along with one of the now-fugitives, whom he met through a meth distributor in Washington. That unnamed co-conspirator moved to the Spear Siding home, after which “business started booming,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Wendell Lefthand was arrested in June 2022 on a different charge, and his sister took over the Montana operation, dealing “pounds and pounds and pounds” of meth, according to court documents.
She and the co-conspirator allegedly built an operation that sent hundreds of pounds of meth to the Crow and Northern Cheyenne reservations to be distributed to lower-level dealers.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted and assisted with the investigation.
“Cartel members preyed on an already vulnerable population, further fueling the drug crisis on Montana’s Indian Reservations, and employing members of the community to peddle poison to their own people,” Salt Lake City FBI Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha said in a statement. “Too many lives have been lost to illicit drugs. Too many families have suffered. The FBI and our partners will not stop pursuing criminals harming our communities.”
The 27 people convicted received the following sentences, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office:
- Wendell Lefthand, of Lodge Grass: 180 months in prison
- Frederica Lefthand, of Lodge Grass: 288 months in prison
- Roderick Plentyhawk, of Billings: 300 months in prison
- Carly Joy James, of Billings: 84 months in prison
- Jeffrey Prettypaint, of Crow Agency: 60 months in prison
- Darlon Richard Lefthand, of Billings: 84 months in prison
- Keilee Shambrae Diaz, of Hardin: 12 months, one day in prison
- Zachary Douglas Bacon, of Garryowen: time served
- Morgan Luke Hugs, of Hardin: 48 months in prison
- Anthony Springfield, of Hardin: time served
- Haley James, of Billings: time served
- John Littlehead, of Billings: 48 months in prison
- Marianna Wallace, of Omak, Washington: 36 months in prison
- Yvon Lopez Flores, of Omak, Washington: 48 months in prison
- Jacklyn Littlebird, of Lame Deer: time served
- Adrienne LaForge, of Lame Deer: 24 months in prison
- Geofredo James Littlebird, of Lame Deer: pending sentencing
- Nancy Hartsock, of Billings: 72 months in prison
- Joe Simpson, of Lame Deer: 240 months in prison
- Melanie Bloodman, of Billings: time served
- Renita Redfield, of Lodge Grass: 63 months in prison
- Daniel Jiminez-Chavez, of Omak, Washington: 84 months in prison
- Sayra Longfox, of Lodge Grass: pending sentencing
- Emma King, of Lame Deer: pending sentencing
- Antonio Infante, of Brewster, Washington: 128 months in prison
- Elisha Felicia, of Wyola: 60 months in prison
- Nicole Schwalbach, of Billings: 120 months in prison
Carrie Gilbertson has been executive director of Cancer Support Community Montana for just under two months, stepping into the role in April with more than 15 years of nonprofit experience and a lifetime of Montana roots.
The organization provides psychosocial and mental health support to anyone affected by cancer — not just those with a diagnosis, but also family members and others walking alongside them.
WATCH: Meet the new leader of Cancer Support Community Montana 🎗️
Cancer Support Community Montana names new executive director
“This mission of providing psycho-social supports and mental health supports for anyone impacted by cancer, not just that person who has the diagnosis, but also family members, anyone who is walking alongside someone as they experience that often scary diagnosis, that’s just something that’s important to me,” Gilbertson said.
Gilbertson’s role extends beyond the Bozeman office. Cancer Support Community Montana’s Missoula location is already up and running, and a Helena location is expected to be operating soon. Each presents its own set of challenges.
“Each hospital is different. They might have different resources. Their social workers might be connecting to things in a different way. So understanding what those hospitals need, what different participants need in each community, is going to be different just because the communities are different, resources are different,” Gilbertson said.
The Bozeman office has been operating for more than 20 years, providing a foundation that supports the organization’s broader statewide efforts.
“I think this is a crew that looks at what does this community need what do our participants need what are some of the changing landscapes in cancer care what things are the gaps that we see that we can maybe just jump right in and you know let’s see if we can provide that for people so that’s something I really love about this crew that I work with and just this mission that there is some flexibility in being able to adjust and adapt as we learn more,” Gilbertson said.
Those adaptations show up in unexpected ways. The organization converts its parking lot into a pickleball court every Friday morning.
“I didn’t know there was a pickleball court. I pulled in actually with my daughter pulled in and she was is that pickleball court and I was like oh, it kind of looks like it is so yeah that’s fun, every Friday morning we clear out the parking lot and put up the net and I haven’t played yet I’ve been watching just to kind of see how that game works but they take it pretty seriously,” Gilbertson said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
The Montana Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 17, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from June 17 drawing
03-26-49-53-61, Powerball: 12, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from June 17 drawing
11-16-18-33-51, Star Ball: 09, ASB: 05
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Big Sky Bonus numbers from June 17 drawing
01-16-17-27, Bonus: 01
Check Big Sky Bonus payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Montana Cash numbers from June 17 drawing
13-22-35-36-39
Check Montana Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Montana Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 9 p.m. MT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky For Life: 8:38 p.m. MT daily.
- Lotto America: 9 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Big Sky Bonus: 7:30 p.m. MT daily.
- Powerball Double Play: 8:59 p.m. MT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Montana Cash: 8 p.m. MT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Millionaire for Life: 9:15 p.m. MT daily.
Missed a draw? Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Great Falls Tribune editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Death in detention: deported migrant woman describes conditions inside ICE facility
Deported migrant woman recounts harsh ICE detention conditions after her husband died from medical complications inside Camp East Montana.
The Department of Homeland Security told the El Paso Times that two suspected overdoses at Camp East Montana over Memorial weekend were related to an overdose of psychiatric medication and a “self-harm” incident.
In both incidents on May 23 and May 24, the detainees were taken to the Rio Vista Behavioral Health center, a DHS spokesperson said.
The 35-year-old detainee who overdosed on psychiatric medication on May 23 was returned to the immigration detention center the same day and is in stable condition. The 34-year-old who overdosed on May 24 is currently being monitored by ICE medical staff after being returned.
“When there are signs of a detainee self-harming, staff abides by strict prevention and intervention protocol to ensure the detainee’s health and wellbeing is protected,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “ICE requires annual suicide prevention training and provides mental health service to detainees.”
The DHS spokesperson said that ICE provides “comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”
The El Paso ICE detention center is the largest in the country, with a capacity to hold 5,000 people. Allegations of human rights abuses have plagued the site since it opened in August 2025.
At least three suspected overdoses have occurred at Camp East Montana, according to 911 emergency calls analyzed by the El Paso Times. The first suspected overdose was reported on Feb. 28, involving a 60-year-old male detainee.
Rising deaths, suicides in ICE detention
At least 50 migrants have died in ICE custody since President Donald Trump returned to office, with 18 deaths occurring in 2026. At least 10 of these deaths were suicides, an investigation by the Associated Press found, including Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan migrant who died at Camp East Montana on Jan. 17.
U.S. representatives, including Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, Angie Craig, DFL (Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party)-Prior Lake, and other political leaders, have raised concerns about the conditions at the detention center following more than a dozen oversight visits. Congressional representatives have repeatedly raised concerns over detainees’ access to medical and mental health services.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, the ACLU, Texas Civil Rights Project, Human Rights Watch and the law firm Farella Braun + Martel LLP sued ICE on behalf of four detainees held at Camp East Montana over “horrific” human rights abuses in May 2026.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com; @palabrasdeabajo on Twitter or @palabrasdeabajo.bsky.social on Bluesky.
-
Lifestyle28 minutes agoThe second life of a classic: ‘Amores Perros’ is remastered and back in theaters
-
Technology38 minutes agoValve is so behind on Steam Controller orders that some won’t ship until 2027
-
World43 minutes agoFrom bear hugs to handshakes: How India lost its edge with Trump while Pakistan quietly gained ground
-
Politics50 minutes agoNew poll reveals where Americans stand after Trump agreement with Iran
-
Health53 minutes agoNo sex for 10 weeks? Championship team’s playoff strategy raises eyebrows
-
Sports58 minutes ago2026 FIFA World Cup Golden Boot Race Tracker: Lionel Messi Is Alone At The Top
-
Technology1 hour agoMcDonald’s AI drive-thru may take your next order
-
Business1 hour ago
Uber, California lawyers say deal reached to avert dueling ballot initiative showdown
