Lame Deer woman admits to trafficking meth

BILLINGS - A Lame Deer woman admitted today to selling methamphetamine on the Northern Cheyenne Indian reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Emma Jewell King, 62, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. King faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. King was released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that between December 2020 and January 2021, law enforcement learned that King was selling meth on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. A source told law enforcement that he or she started purchasing meth from King in early 2019 and would purchase three to four grams per week from her. King's source of meth was from a home in Lodge Grass and from Washington. In March 2023, law enforcement conducted a controlled purchase of meth from King from King's house. King told law enforcement in January 2024 that she was a drug dealer and had purchased one ounce of meth every week beginning in about July 2021 through March 2023.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs 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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