Federal jury convicts Washington man of meth and fentanyl trafficking in Hill County, Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS — A federal jury on Feb. 29 convicted a Washington man accused of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl in communities in Hill County and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

After a three-day trial that began on Feb. 27, a jury found the defendant, Antonio Ledesma Rodriguez, aka Uncle, 53, of Yakima, Washington, guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substance and distribution of fentanyl as charged in an indictment. Rodriguez faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release on each count.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for June 20. Rodriguez was detained pending further proceedings.

“Due to outstanding law enforcement work, we are, yet again, holding someone accountable for poisoning our communities. Here, Rodriguez brought meth and fentanyl pills to the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and surrounding towns for local distribution. Together with our law enforcement partners, we remain relentless in our efforts to shut down drug traffickers.  I thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie D. Robles and Amanda L. Myers, our office support staff and the FBI, Tri Agency Task Force and Rocky Boy’s Police Department for their work investigating and prosecuting this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that Rodriguez was involved in drug trafficking from about January 2021 to December 2021 in the Hill County communities of Havre, Laredo and Box Elder, and on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. In May 2021, law enforcement seized fentanyl pills from an individual at his residence. The individual admitted he was involved in distributing controlled substances and identified his suppliers as a group of men, including Rodriguez, from Yakima, Washington. The pills sized from the residence had been provided by Rodriguez. The individual also sold fentanyl and meth for Rodriguez. In a controlled purchase, law enforcement obtained 350 fentanyl pills from Rodriguez for $8,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie D. Robles and Amanda L. Myers are prosecuting the case. The FBI, Tri Agency Task Force and Rocky Boy’s Police Department 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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