- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
MISSOULA — A Washington man who admitted to bringing methamphetamine to the Flathead Indian Reservation for redistribution was sentenced on Tuesday to 10 years in prison plus five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said in a statement.
Alberto Escareno-Sanchez, 27, of Sunnyside, Washington, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Want more Native News? Get the free daily newsletter today.
The government alleged that Flathead Tribal Police officers pulled over a vehicle in which Escareno-Sanchez was a passenger in January 2019. During a later search of the vehicle pursuant to a warrant, investigators found meth, a firearm, and other drug paraphernalia.
In July 2020, law enforcement served a search warrant on Escareno-Sanchez’s residence and found meth, heroin, two handguns, and $14,286 in currency. Escareno-Sanchez told law enforcement that the drugs, a gun, and the money belonged to him. Confidential informants also indicated to law enforcement that Escareno-Sanchez made trips to Washington to get meth for distribution on the Flathead Reservation.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Northwest Drug Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through the project, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (January 29, 2023): D.C. Briefs7-Year-Old Boy Dies from Dog Attack on Fort Hall Reservation
Navajo Nation Elects Its First Female Speaker
WATCH: Indigenous Chef Crystal Wahpepah on Native Bidaske
Indigenous Food Chef Crystal Wahpepah on This Week's Native Bidaské
Do you appreciate a Native perspective on the news?
For the past decade-plus, we’ve covered the important Indigenous stories that are often overlooked by other media. From the protests at Standing Rock and the toppling of colonizer statues during the racial equity protests, to the ongoing epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW), the attacks on tribal sovereignty at the Supreme Court and the past-due reckoning related to assimilation, cultural genocide and Indian Boarding Schools, we have been there to provide a Native perspective and elevate Native voices.
Our news is free for everyone to read, but it is not free to produce. That’s why we’re asking you to make a donation this month to help support our efforts. Any contribution — big or small — helps us remain a force for change in Indian Country and continue telling the stories that are so often ignored, erased or overlooked. Please consider a recurring monthly donation of $5 or $10 to help fund us throughout the year. Whatever you can do, it helps fund our Indigenous-led newsroom and our ability to cover Native news.
Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous journalism. Thank you.
