BILLINGS —A Washington man who came to the Crow Indian Reservation to distribute methamphetamine as part of a large-scale conspiracy was sentenced today to seven years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for narcotics trafficking, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Daniel Jiminez-Chavez, aka Raton, a 40-year-old Mexican citizen from Okanogan, Washington, pled guilty in January to possessing meth with intent to distribute.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
The government claimed in court records that federal law enforcement, in collaboration with local and tribal law enforcement, undertook a large-scale drug trafficking investigation focusing on various sites on the Crow Indian Reservation. From around January 2022 to March 2023, the estates, notably one known as Spear Siding, supplied meth to both the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservations. Jiminez-Chavez is one of around two dozen people involved in the probe.
The government claimed Jiminez-Chavez was a top-tier member of the conspiracy who traveled from Washington to Lodge Grass on the Crow Indian Reservation in February 2023 to distribute meth and serve as a caretaker. He had no ties to Montana other than being assigned to care for one of the houses implicated in the scheme and sell drugs for a co-conspirator.
Jiminez-Chavez began residing at the Bloodman residence, which was located near Spear Siding. While in the house, Jiminez-Chavez delivered meth to about six additional people in the case, with the help of another co-conspirator who translated.
Jiminez-Chavez was in Montana roughly two months before being arrested. Jiminez-Chavez was involved in supplying at least 4.5 kilos (almost 10 pounds) of meth for two months. Ten pounds of meth is equivalent to about 36,240 doses.
The United States Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program that brings together law enforcement at all levels and the communities they serve to minimize violent crime and gun violence while also making our neighborhoods safer for everyone KTVQ stated.
On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy to strengthen PSN based on the following core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence in the first place, establishing focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.