GREAT FALLS, Mont. (NMB) – Two Box Elder residents appeared in U.S. District Court last week and pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegations of meth distribution.
Randal James Whitford, 37, pleaded not guilty on June 15th to the felonies of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute.
A Grand Jury indicted Whitford on May 27th, alleging that from December 1st 2019 to January 19th, 2020, Whitford possessed at least 50 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to disribute. The indictment also alleges Whitford, “knowingly and unlawfully conspired with other persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute…50 or more grams of actual methamphetamine.”
If convicted of the most serious crime, Whitford faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
Kyle Frank Russette, 25, pleaded not guilty on June 18th to the felonies of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and felon in possession of a firearm. He also denied criminal forfeiture allegations.
On May 27th, a Grand Jury indicted Russette, alleging that on January 16th, 2020, Russette knowingly possessed and intended to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, and aided and abetted the same. It also alleges that Russette knowingly possessed two firearms, a Norinco 44-1 pistol and Glock 19x pistol, in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes.
If convicted of the most serious crime, Russette faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.
Russette was previously convicted of a felony in February 2015. In August 2019, he was sentenced to 36 months suspended in the Department of Corrections by the Cascade County District Court for failure to register as a sexual or violent offender.
Both Whitford and Russette were detained pending further proceedings.
Their cases were investigated by the FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement. Whitford’s case was also investigated by the Tri-Agency Drug Task Force.
