Four defendants involved in a methamphetamine trafficking operation were sentenced to federal prison this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The four were linked to an organization run out of Great Falls by Dan Wakeford, Melissa Barone, and Mike Wakeford, who were arrested in 2024 for trafficking and investigators seized more than 100 pounds of meth and an illegal firearm in an Arizona storage unit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Great Falls woman sentenced to 20 years on federal meth trafficking charge

Dan Wakeford and Barone were sentenced in 2025 to 20 years in prison and Mike Wakeford was sentenced to 18 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges.

Great Falls man sentenced on federal meth trafficking charge

Sentenced this week after pleading guilty to trafficking charges were:

• Jonathan James Henderson, 7 years and 10 months
• Levi Jerome Dabler, 3 years and 8 months
• Patrick James Wright, 2 years and 6 months
• Stephanie Lee Hurd, 3 years and 6 months

Earlier this year, Travis Edward Dabler was sentenced to 4 years and 10 months, and Charles Nichols Williams was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months.

Great Falls woman pleads guilty in meth distribution case [2024]

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

“This announcement underscores the ongoing threat posed by drug trafficking organizations that continue to move significant quantities of illicit drugs into Montana,” DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cesar Avila said in a release. “Through coordinated investigations and interagency partnerships, law enforcement has disrupted these networks and seized substantial amounts of methamphetamine intended for distribution in our communities. We remain committed to protecting Montanans by targeting the organizations responsible and reducing the flow of these dangerous drugs into our state.”

Great Falls man admits federal charges related to having more than 100 pounds of meth [2024]

Prosecutors alleged that during the Wakeford investigation in 2024, Henderson was identified as an associate of the trafficking organization.

Agents used an informant to purchase meth from Henderson, then used a similar setup on Levi Dabler. Agents also sent an informant to buy meth from Hurd.

Henderson and Dabler pleaded guilty in March 2026 to meth trafficking charges. Hurd pleaded guilty to a meth distribution charge in February 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Around the same time, investigators learned that Wright had purchased meth and had connected at least one person with a supplier. He was pulled over in March 2025 and officers found meth and drug paraphernalia in his car. He pleaded guilty in February 2026 to possession with intent to distribute, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“The defendants brought methamphetamine into our tribal communities, putting lives at risk, fueling violence, and causing lasting harm,” Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings field office said in a release. “The sentencings are about accountability, but our work does not stop here. The FBI will continue working side-by-side with our tribal, federal, state and local partners to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect the communities we serve.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Starnes and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Russell Country Drug Task Force.