Lopez drug case dismissed through agreement with prosecutors
Dallas Lopez signed a deferred prosecution agreement that was filed in district court on July 9.
A number of people were arrested in October 2023, some at a house at 2112 Poplar Drive, property owned by Lopez.
Lopez was charged with felony counts of accountability for criminal distribution of dangerous drugs, and two felony counts of possession of property subject to criminal forfeiture.
“Although probable cause existed to charge the case, this motion is made on the grounds and for the reasons that in consideration of the evidence in the state’s case and the needs of the community, the parties have entered into a deferred prosecution agreement, which will require the defendant to address any chemical dependency needs, pay a fine, and permit law enforcement to do home visits. Should the defendant violate the terms of this agreement, the state will seek to re-file this matter,” prosecutors wrote in their motion to dismiss, filed July 9.
Prosecutors alleged that Lopez committed those crimes between September 2022 and July 2023.
In the deferred prosecution agreement, Lopez agrees that there was probable cause to establish that he committed those offenses; that if he abides by the conditions for two years, the state will not object to a motion to dismiss the charges with prejudice; Lopez must abide by all laws and if he’s arrested or charged with any other crimes, the state can revoke the agreement and recharge these offenses.
Under the agreement, Lopez must comply with all treatment recommendations of his chemical dependency providers, including testing and quarterly compliance checks to the state; and pay a $20,000 fine to the Russell Country Drug Task Force with $10,000 due immediately and $5,000 due no later than one year and two years from the agreement signing date respectively.
Lopez also agreed that Great Falls law enforcement may make visits to his home at 2112 Poplar Drive that shall not occur more than one every calendar month “for the purpose to provide peace of mind to the neighbors and confirm no illegal activity is ongoing,” according to the agreement.
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Visits may not last longer than 30 minutes and if officers arrive while Lopez isn’t home, he has at least six hours to return home for a visit at the request of law enforcement.
The County Attorney’s Office wanted to seize Lopez’ house as part of the investigation, but because he owed so much on the mortgage, Cascade County Attorney Josh Racki said that the bank would have likely bought the house back for its security interest and then sold it back to Lopez and the seizure would have cost the county more in fees than it would have gained from seizing the property.
Federal, state and local law enforcement officials dismantled a large fentanyl trafficking ring that brought tens of thousands of pills into the Great Falls community and that investigation of those bringing drugs into the Great Falls area from Washington led to convictions of 10 people on federal charges and more in state court.
Sentencing hearing for one in narcotics ring set for May 1 [2024]
Most of those arrests were made in October 2023, some at a house at 2112 Poplar Drive, property owned by Dallas Lopez, who has also been arrested and charged in district court in the narcotics investigation.
The operation was dubbed Operation Tacoma Sunrise and it began with an investigation into fentanyl trafficking in the Great Falls area began in September 2022 with the traffic stop of a Russian national and led to a supplier, Joseph Allen Conner, in the Tacoma area.
Conner, aka Street, was arrested in June 2023, followed by the arrests of most of the other defendants in a coordinated multi-agency takedown in October 2023 in Great Falls.
Conner was sentenced in May 2024 to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
The Washington man in his 40s admitted in an interview that beginning in September 2022, he made multiple trips to Montana, including to Great Falls, Missoula, Lincoln, and Haugen, to sell fentanyl and other controlled substances.
The investigation determined that Conner distributed large amounts of pills to multiple sources and possessed “buckets full” of fentanyl pills, according to court documents.
Two more appear in federal court in narcotics investigation [2023]
Conner also mailed large amounts of pills to distributors and was seen with what an individual described as a “volleyball size bag” of pills. Law enforcement also seized about 1,500 fentanyl pills and meth from a vehicle being driven by a co-conspirator and determined that the drugs came from Conner, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Conner signed a plea agreement in November 2023, in which he agreed to plead guilty to the federal charge of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, according to court documents.
In exchange, federal prosecutors dismissed the other three charges.
Seven charged federally in narcotics investigation [2023]
In the agreement, Conner acknowledged that there was an agreement between two or more people to distribute meth and fentanyl and to possess it with the intent to distribute it; and that at least 400 grams of a mixture or substance containing fentanyl and at least five grams of actual methamphetamine was involved in the conspiracy, according to court documents.
Conner lived in Washington and was dealing fentanyl and Xanax throughout Montana, including Cascade County.
Another charged in narcotics investigation [2023]
Conner was indicted in federal court in July for conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances; possession with intent to distribute controlled substances; distribution of fentanyl; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
He initially entered a not guilty plea on the indictment.
Conner’s attorney submitted multiple letters to the court from friends and family describing his good character and struggles with addiction that they believe lead to his involvement with drug trafficking.
Overall, the investigation led to the seizure of tens of thousands of fentanyl pills and at least seven firearms.
Charges filed in narcotics investigation [2023]
Others charged and sentenced in federal court through the investigation are:
- Nicholas Cocklin, of Great Falls: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to one year in prison.
- Alanna Corcoran, of Great Falls: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to Glacier drug court.
- Terry McIntire, of Great Falls: conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
- Michael McIntire, of Great Falls: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
- Paul Regimbal, of Great Falls: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to 12 months and one day in prison.
- Iesha Berry-Harris, of Tacoma, Wash.: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentence to 15 months in prison.
- David Prien-Pinto, of Great Falls: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to five years in prison.
- Courtney Price, of Great Falls: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Sentenced to three years and two months in prison.
- Casey Louis Ream, of California: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison.
Natalie Crawford, of Great Falls, was also charged federally with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. She entered drug treatment in 2024 and her case remains pending in federal court. Crawford was named as a co-defendant with Prien-Pinto.
10 arrested in narcotics investigation; another arrested on unrelated warrant [2023]
In addition to those charged federally, several were charged in District Court, including Lopez.
Terry McCann was also selling fentanyl out of Lopez’s house.
McCann was charged with a felony county of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor county of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia in connection with a January traffic stop.
She signed a plea deal in 2024, pleading guilty to four felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and in exchange, the state agreed not to prosecute five other charges in two cases.
Prosecutors recommended five years in Montana state prison with all time suspended.
She was sentenced earlier this year in multiple drug cases, with one for a five year deferred prosecution and $100 on each case to the community food bank and chemical dependency evaluations.
Danny Burkhard was charged with two felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a misdemeanor count of criminal possession of drug paraphernalia.
Great Falls man admits in federal court to distributing meth [2024]
He was sentenced earlier this year to five years in prison consecutive to both state and federal cases with credit for 533 days served.
Kally Carpenter was charged in district court with two felony counts of criminal possession of dangerous drugs and a felony count of tampering with evidence.
Carpenter accepted a plea agreement to plead guilty to one felony count of criminal possession of dangerous drugs in May 2024 and the other two charges were dismissed, according to court records. Carpenter received a three year deferred sentence.
Roger Cantrell was charged in District Court with a felony count of criminal distribution of drugs. He also accepted a plea agreement and entered a guilty plea in October 2024. Cantress was sentenced to 15 years in Montana State Prison with one year suspended.
Ream was also charged and convicted in District Court. He was sentenced to five years with the Montana Department of Corrections.
Great Falls man sentenced for trafficking meth, fentanyl [2024]
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Homeland Security Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Russell Country Drug Task Force; Great Falls Police Department and the Cascade County Attorney’s Office investigated the case.
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, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
