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Woman sentenced in Great Falls for trafficking meth

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Posted at 12:44 PM, Mar 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-04 17:35:42-05

GREAT FALLS — A woman who admitted trafficking methamphetamine on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and in Great Falls was sentenced in federal court in Great Falls on Wednesday.

Georgie Elaine Russell, 41, pleaded guilty on Oct. 22 to possession with intent to distribute meth, acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said in a news release.

The government alleged in court documents filed in the case that the Great Falls Police Department learned in January 2020 that Russell was on federal supervised release for a meth conviction in the Eastern District of Washington and was trafficking meth from Washington to the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and Great Falls.

During an approved trip to Montana in January 2020, law enforcement officers made a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Russell was a passenger. The vehicle was impounded, and a search warrant was obtained. Officers found an air-sealed bag that contained approximately 222 grams of meth, or nearly one-half pound of meth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Plaut prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services and Great Falls Police Department.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided and sentenced Russell to seven years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.