Great Falls women sentenced to 20 years on federal meth trafficking charge
A Great Falls woman was sentenced April 15 to 20 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on drug trafficking charges, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said. The government also forfeited nearly $75,000 in cash, a gun, a BMW, and a motorhome.
Melissa Ann Barone, 55, pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the Russell Country Drug Task Force.
Great Falls woman pleads guilty in meth distribution case
Prosecutors alleged that in 2020, law enforcement discovered Barone and her co-defendant were involved in distributing pounds of methamphetamine in and around Great Falls.
Between 2020 and 2024, numerous drug associates advised law enforcement of the pair’s drug distribution activities and travels to Colorado, Washington and Arizona to obtain methamphetamine to redistribute in Montana, according to court documents.
Sources identified purchasing one-pound quantities of methamphetamine totaling over six to eight pounds within a 10-month period from 2020 to 2021.
Great Falls man admits in federal court to distributing meth [2024]
In 2022 and 2023, sources reported Barone was trafficking half or full eightballs of methamphetamine for her co-defendant and it was found that her co-defendant was purchasing 50 to 100 pounds of methamphetamine at a time, spending more than $100,000 delivered in bulk amounts. Barone and her co-defendant were purchasing vehicles and RVs at auto auctions for cash, according to court documents.
In February 2023, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle operated by the defendants as they were traveling back to Montana from Texas. A K-9 detection dog alerted on the vehicle and $17,000 in U.S. currency was found rubber banded to a seatbelt inside the vehicle, according to court documents.
On May 5, 2024, law enforcement executed a warrant and arrested Barone in Great Falls, finding about 444.4 grams of meth, a scale and paraphernalia in her purse. Her vehicle contained $7,911 in U.S. currency, 46.3 grams of meth and drug paraphernalia. During the seizure of a BMW owned by her co-defendant, law enforcement found $5,000 in U,S. currency in a vacuum-sealed bag concealed under the back seat, according to court documents.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, which identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
