Lame Deer woman admits trafficking methamphetamine

BILLINGS — A Lame Deer woman accused of selling methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation admitted to a trafficking crime today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Adrienne Dawn Laforge, 34, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. Laforge faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Dec. 8. Laforge was detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that in August 2022, law enforcement purchased meth from Laforge at a house in Lame Deer. An indictment accused Laforge with trafficking meth from about January through October 2022 on the Northern Cheyenne and Crow Indian reservations. Laforge and others were charged as a result of an investigation into a large drug trafficking conspiracy.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys are prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI 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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