MISSOULA — A Butte woman convicted by a federal jury of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl as part of a large drug ring that had a base in Whitehall was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Janet Dean White, 57, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in a jury trial in April.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
“White was among eight Montanans and Californians who were convicted in a conspiracy that brought at least 13 pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills to the Butte and Helena areas. We will not rest until every drug trafficker is brought to justice, and I’m confident those defendants will end up residing in the same place as White - federal prison,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents, the government alleged that from June 2022 until about January 2023 in Butte and Helena, White and seven other co-defendants conspired to traffic meth and fentanyl. In June 2022, the Utah Highway Patrol stopped an individual traveling in a vehicle carrying 3.5 pounds of meth and 6,000 pills containing fentanyl and learned that the individual was transporting the drugs to Butte for distribution by “Esco,” who was co-defendant Juan Felipe Vidrio Fuentes, of Anaheim, California. Law enforcement further learned that Fuentes was staying at the Whitehall residence along with at least one co-defendant, James Andrew Stringari, of Whitehall, and that Fuentes was supplying both fentanyl and meth throughout the Butte area from the Whitehall residence. In addition, law enforcement corroborated information about meth and fentanyl trafficking that implicated Fuentes, Stringari, White and another co-defendant.
Fuentes and Stringari were also convicted of conspiracy and possession charges during the April trial. Fuentes was sentenced recently to 30 years in prison, while Stringari is pending sentencing.
The government further alleged that in October 2022, law enforcement stopped a vehicle leaving the Whitehall residence. White was a passenger, and law enforcement found one pound of meth in her purse. In November 2022, law enforcement again stopped White in a vehicle and located three-quarters of a pound of meth and more than 100 pills containing fentanyl. White also possessed several cell phones, which contained messages indicative of her drug distribution.
During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted packages containing thousands of pills that were mailed from California to the Whitehall address and to a Butte address. Law enforcement also learned that Fuentes had relocated to a house in Helena.
Law enforcement conducted coordinated stops and raids of the Helena and Butte addresses. In the Butte residence, law enforcement located approximately six pounds of meth, 208 grams of fentanyl, $15,000 cash and seven firearms. In the Helena residence, law enforcement located approximately seven pounds of meth and 68 grams of fentanyl.
Co-defendants Martin Topete Garcia and his brother, Johnathan Topete, both of Mira Loma, California, pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Co-defendant Trevor Allen Handy, of Butte, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Co-defendant Anthony Wayne Johnson II, of Santa Ana, California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and co-defendant Agatha Noriz Carranza, of Whitehall, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Law enforcement conducted coordinated stops and raids of the Helena and Butte addresses. In the Butte residence, law enforcement located approximately six pounds of meth, 208 grams of fentanyl, $15,000 cash and seven firearms. In the Helena residence, law enforcement located approximately seven pounds of meth and 68 grams of fentanyl.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, Montana Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri River Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Utah Highway Patrol and Utah State Bureau of Investigations conducted the investigation.
