An Idaho man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in Great Falls and Helena was sentenced Oct. 11 in federal court to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Thomas Lee Dieruf, 40, of Osborn, Idaho, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

Washington man sentenced for dealing fentanyl in Great Falls

Prosecutors said in court documents that law enforcement in Great Falls and Helena identified Dieruf as supplying meth, and in January 2022, investigators arranged for a purchase of meth from Dieruf. After agreeing to the deal, Dieruf left his home in Idaho and traveled to Montana, where law enforcement detained him at a gas station in St. Regis. Officers executing a search warrant on his car located approximately a quarter pound of meth, a digital scale, plastic baggies and two pistols, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Great Falls man sentenced for meth trafficking

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force, Missouri River Drug Task Force, FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on core principles of 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.

Jenn Rowell

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