GREAT FALLS - Jacqueline Marie Kirkaldie, of Great Falls, admitted today that she distributed methamphetamine and heroin that came to the community from California, said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Kirkaldie, 32, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. She is detained. Kirkaldie faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and five years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and set sentencing for Oct. 16, 2019.
In court records, the prosecution said that beginning in September 2018, the Russell Country Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating a meth and heroin distribution ring in Great Falls. Kirkaldie was among those who redistributed for the group.
In January, detectives interviewed a heroin addict who said he got his heroin from Kirkaldie and knew that she had a source of drugs who brought pound quantities of meth and heroin from California to Great Falls on a weekly basis.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the DEA and Russell Country Drug Task Force.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
