Montana drug traffickers sent to prison

A group of conspirators who distributed substantial amounts of methamphetamine through Deer Lodge are being sent to prison.

The most recent member of the drug trafficking operation to be sentenced is Christian Jesus Ruiz, 23, of Sunnyside, Washington. Ruiz was one of a group of men who possessed firearms and trafficked drugs through Montana every month throughout 2016, according to a press release by the Department of Justice.

The drug and firearm trafficking scheme came to a sudden end for Ruiz and Hector Ricardo Gonzalez on Jan. 24, 2017, when authorities arrested them in Mineral County with 20 pounds of methamphetamine, the Department of Justice reports. The drugs were reportedly on their way to Deer Lodge.

The investigation included an assortment of law enforcement agencies ranging from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Agency to local jurisdictions in Helena, Lewis and Clark and Mineral Counties. U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme praised the collaborative work of the law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the case.

“The volatile combination of methamphetamine and guns is closely associated with a rise in violent crime in communities across Montana. The Department of Justice is committed to reducing violent crime in those communities and prosecuting Ruiz and his co-defendants is another positive step toward that goal,” Alme said in a press release.

Ruiz was sentenced Dec. 21 to 5 years in prison and 5 years supervised released time by U.S. District Court Judge Sam Haddon.

Gonzalez was previously sentenced to more than 21 years in prison and five years supervised release for his role in the conspiracy. Other members of the drug trafficking operation included Jeff Allen Trask, who was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and 5 years supervised release; and Chase Ryan Storlie, who faces sentencing on Jan. 3.

Reporter Breeana Laughlin can be reached at 758-4441 or blaughlin@dailyinterlake.com.