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Heart Butte man pleads guilty to distributing meth to minor

Posted at 9:55 AM, Jul 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-10 11:55:06-04

A 24-year-old Heart Butte man admitted to drug distribution charges Tuesday for providing a minor with methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.

Gary Allen Jimenez pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21. He faces a minimum mandatory one year to 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and at least six years to life of supervised release.

The prosecution said in court records that in early 2017, FBI agents began investigating allegations that persons on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation were providing meth and other drugs to minors.

A juvenile girl was identified as being involved in such activity and communicated with potential meth dealers through Facebook, according to a press release.

A search of the juvenile’s Facebook accounts identified Jimenez as being involved in illicit transactions with the juvenile, who at the time was between 12 and 14 years of age.

The juvenile told law enforcement that he provided her with meth on multiple occasions and that they had smoked it together, according to the Department of Justice.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Tribal law enforcement.

A judge set Jimenez’s sentencing date for October 24.