Lame Deer meth trafficker sentenced to five years in prison

MISSOULA - A Lame Deer man who admitted to distributing methamphetamine and acting as a drug debt collector on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation was sentenced on Wednesday to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, James "JC" Luis Costilla, 37, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in September 2021 on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Costilla was with a group of four individuals who were in a car stopped by law enforcement. Costilla distributed meth and worked as a collector for drug debts for his co-conspirators. In Costilla's car, law enforcement found meth and three firearms--an AR rifle, a shotgun and a handgun. Co-defendant Jamesey Jefferson was sentenced to seven years in prison for her conviction in the case, and co-defendant Ivan Eaglefeathers was sentenced to six years in prison for his conviction in the case.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case.

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