Nicholas Vassallo | U.S. Department of Justice
Beatrice Irene Willis, a 52-year-old resident of Ethete, Wyoming, has been sentenced to 65 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for distributing methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin on December 19 in Cheyenne.
Court documents reveal that the Safe Trails Task Force, under the leadership of the FBI, began investigating Willis in October 2023 after receiving reports of her selling controlled substances from her home in Ethete. On January 19, agents conducted a controlled purchase of two ounces of methamphetamine from Willis. During a subsequent interview, she confessed to regularly distributing drugs on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
The Safe Trails Task Force focuses on drug trafficking issues within the Wind River Indian Reservation and nearby areas, with particular attention on curbing methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution. The task force includes members from several law enforcement agencies such as the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, Riverton Police Department, Lander Police Department, Wyoming Highway Patrol, and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
Willis was formally charged on May 16 and entered a guilty plea on June 25. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist led the prosecution for this case.
Case No. 24-CR-00077
