From the Courts - Federal District Court: Havre residents plead in fentanyl, meth case

U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Montana

GREAT FALLS — Two Havre residents accused of distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine to the Fort Belknap and the Rocky Boy’s Indian reservations admitted Monday to a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Brittany Alice Bradley, 25, and Daniel First Raised, 32, each pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The defendants face a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years of imprisonment, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for both defendants for Dec. 18. The defendants were detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that in June 2022, FBI agents learned that First Raised was distributing a significant amount of fentanyl on the Fort Belknap and the Rocky Boy’s Indian reservations and that Bradley distributed fentanyl and meth with First Raised. Law enforcement learned that the defendants likely received their drugs from a source in Yakima, Washington. Law enforcement conducted a series of controlled purchases of fentanyl and meth from Bradley and First Raised from August 2022 to September 2022.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley is prosecuting the case. The FBI and Tri Agency Task Force conducted the investigation.