A Utah woman who had nearly two pounds of methamphetamine hidden on her body when arrested near Butte was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Ebony Cherelle Tafoya, 31, of Midvale, Utah, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The prosecution said in court documents that on Sept. 6, 2019, Tafoya was arrested outside of Butte. Law enforcement officers conducted a pat down search of Tafoya and found 520 grams, which is about 1.1 pounds, of meth in a belly band. Another 333 grams, or about three-quarters of a pound, was found hidden in Tafoya's bra and chest area at the Butte-Silver Bow Detention Center. The amount of meth seized was the equivalent of about 7,248 doses. Tafoya previously had distributed large quantities of meth to a confidential source in August 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Russell Country Drug Task Force, the Montana Southwest Drug Task Force, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Montana Department of Corrections.
