GREAT FALLS-A woman who admitted possessing heroin for distribution as part of a Great Falls methamphetamine and heroin distribution ring was sentenced today to 11 years and four months in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Jacqueline Marie Kirkaldie, 32, of Great Falls, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
An investigation into a meth and heroin ring in Great Falls began in September 2018 by the Russell Country Drug Task force and Drug Enforcement Administration, the prosecution said in court records.
Investigators became aware that Kirkaldie redistributed meth and heroin for the group, which included co-defendants Anthony Beltran and David Awberry. Beltran has pleaded not guilty and is pending trial. Awberry has pleaded guilty and awaiting sentencing. Kirkaldie possessed with intent to distribute meth and heroin from September 2018 until April.
Prosecutors allege that Beltran had a California source for drugs and that he used numerous individuals, including Kirkaldie, to redistribute the drugs in Great Falls. A witness told law enforcement that he or she bought heroin from Kirkaldie and had seen her in possession with distributable amounts of heroin and meth. When arrested at a casino in on Jan. 5, Kirkaldie had two baggies of heroin. Another individual told law enforcement of receiving heroin from Kirkaldie. In April 2019, law enforcement seized 2,191 grams, or about 4.8 pounds, of actual methamphetamine from a home where the group stored their drugs. The amount of meth seized from the home is the equivalent of about 17,395 doses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the 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
