Lodge Grass woman admits to role in large methamphetamine trafficking ring centered on Crow Indian Reservation

BILLINGS — A Lodge Grass woman accused of trafficking methamphetamine as part of large-scale, multi-state conspiracy that was based on the Crow Indian Reservation admitted to a drug crime on Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Sayra Longfox, 26, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. Longfox faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Aug. 29. Longfox was released pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that in a collaborative effort with local and tribal law enforcement, federal law enforcement conducted a large-scale, multi-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 for both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian reservations. Longfox is one of the individuals affiliated with the investigation.

The government further alleged that several co-conspirators identified Longfox as selling meth on the Northern Cheyenne, Crow, Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy’s Indian reservations. After her arrest, Longfox told investigators that family members asked her to sell drugs beginning in the summer of 2022 and that she sold from her home at Spear Siding and on the Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy’s reservations. She admitted to getting meth and cocaine from a codefendant, who obtained it from the Washington source of supply, and to obtaining meth and cocaine from the Washington source. Longfox also admitted to carrying a 9mm handgun for protection.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting 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.

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