BILLINGS — A Lodge Grass woman who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine as part of a large-scale conspiracy based on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced on Dec. 14 to five years and three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.
Ranita Roselle Redfield, 47, pleaded guilty in August to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that federal law enforcement, in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, engaged in a large-scale, multiple-state narcotics trafficking investigation centered on multiple properties on the Crow Indian Reservation. The properties, including one referred to as Spear Siding, were a source of supply of meth for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations in 2022 and 2023. The investigation identified Redfield as one of the members of the organization. Redfield communicated with multiple co-conspirators regarding the distribution of meth, and she often sold meth in ounce quantities.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
XXX