Box Elder woman sentenced for trafficking fentanyl on the Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder woman who distributed fentanyl in northern Montana and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to time served to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Dai Shawn Whitford, 33, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of distribution of fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement received information that Whitford’s co-defendants were working together to bring drugs from Washington to distribute on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and nearby locations. On at least one occasion, Dai Shawn Whitford helped distribute on behalf of the co-defendants.

In May 2023, a confidential source paid a co-defendant $800 for 30 fentanyl pills. The co-defendant directed the confidential source to pick up the fentanyl at a residence on Rocky Boy’s. The informant went to the house and was provided approximately 30 fentanyl pills from Dai Shawn Whitford.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force.

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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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