Whitehall man sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison for role in large meth, fentanyl trafficking ring that distributed drugs in Butte, Helena communities

MISSOULA - A Whitehall man convicted by a federal jury of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl as part of a large drug ring that distributed drugs in the Butte and Helena communities was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, James Andrew Stringari, 52, was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances in a jury trial in April.

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

"Stringari played a critical role as the point-person between the leaders and lower-level dealers in this large drug trafficking conspiracy that brought at least 13 pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills to the Butte and Helena areas. He was especially dangerous because he possessed a firearm and encouraged others to do the same. But his extensive federal prison sentence means he will no longer be a danger to our communities, for which I am grateful," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents, the government alleged that from June 2022 until about January 2023 in Butte and Helena, Stringari and seven other co-defendants conspired to traffic meth and fentanyl. In June 2022, the Utah Highway Patrol stopped an individual traveling in a vehicle carrying 3.5 pounds of meth and 6,000 pills containing fentanyl and learned that the individual was transporting the drugs to Butte for distribution by "Esco," who was co-defendant Juan Felipe Vidrio Fuentes, of Anaheim, California. Law enforcement further learned that Fuentes was staying at Whitehall residence along with at least one co-defendant, Stringari, and that Fuentes was supplying both fentanyl and meth throughout the Butte area from the Whitehall residence. In addition, law enforcement corroborated information about meth and fentanyl trafficking that implicated Fuentes, Stringari, co-defendant Janet Dean White and another co-defendant.

Fuentes and White also were convicted in the April trial of conspiracy and possession charges. Fuentes was sentenced recently to 30 years in prison, while White was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The government alleged Stringari was long-term, high-level participant in the six-month conspiracy. Stringari procured drugs and guns, facilitated communication between the leaders of the conspiracy and the lower-level dealers and connected multiple parts of the conspiracy together. Without Stringari, the government continued, the conspiracy would not have been able to reach as far into the Butte and Helena communities as quickly as it did, as his local contacts were integral to the conspiracy's success.

During the investigation, law enforcement intercepted packages containing thousands of pills that were mailed from California to the Whitehall address and to a Butte address. Law enforcement also learned that Fuentes had relocated to a house in Helena.

Law enforcement conducted coordinated raids of the Helena and Butte addresses. In the Butte residence, law enforcement located approximately six pounds of meth, 208 grams of fentanyl, $15,000 cash and seven firearms. In the Helena residence, law enforcement located approximately seven pounds of meth and 68 grams of fentanyl.

Co-defendants Martin Topete Garcia and his brother, Johnathan Topete, both of Mira Loma, California, pleaded guilty and are pending sentencing. Co-defendant Trevor Allen Handy, of Butte, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Co-defendant Anthony Wayne Johnson II, of Santa Ana, California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and co-defendant Agatha Noriz Carranza, of Whitehall, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, Montana Highway Patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Missouri River Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, Utah Highway Patrol and Utah State Bureau of Investigations conducted the investigation.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

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