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PNS - Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - Trump says he had every right to 'interfere' with the last presidential election, civil rights groups say Texas authorities are attempting to suppress the Latino vote, and Ohio's Secretary of State unveils stricter rules surrounding ballot drop boxes.
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PNS - Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - Ways cited to increase voter engagement, and turnout in TN ahead of Nov. 5; In a first, Phoenix hits 100 straight days of 100-degree heat; Climate activists along TX coast want LNG ban; Coaching beyond the game for student growth in Ohio and elsewhere.
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ButteNews
September 3, 2024
MISSOULA — A California man convicted by a federal jury of trafficking pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills in the Butte and Helena communities as part of a large conspiracy was sentenced today to 30 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
After a four-day trial in April, a jury found the defendant, Juan Felipe Vidrio Fuentes, 36, of Anaheim, California, guilty of conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
“Fuentes thought he could use his California connections to set up a drug trafficking ring to profit at the expense and misery of Montanans to whom he peddled meth and fentanyl pills. He was wrong. Fuentes, and all of those charged in this conspiracy, stand convicted of drug trafficking crimes, and can no longer poison our communities. These convictions would not have happened without the extraordinary collaboration and diligence of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, 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 the Butte and Helena areas, Fuentes, along with seven other co-defendants, conspired to distribute methamphetamine 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 Fuentes. Law enforcement further learned that Fuentes was staying at a house in Whitehall along with at least one co-defendant, James Andrew Stringari, of Whitehall, and that Fuentes was supplying both fentanyl and meth throughout the Butte area from the Whitehall residence. In addition, law enforcement inspected a source’s cell phone and corroborated information about meth and fentanyl trafficking that implicated Fuentes, Stringari, co-defendant Janet Dean White, of Butte, and another co-defendant. Stringari and White were convicted at trial with Fuentes and are pending sentencing.
Law enforcement conducted coordinated stops and raids of addresses in Helena and Butte. 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.
The government further alleged that Fuentes was one of the main organizers and suppliers of the criminal conspiracy, which trafficked pounds of meth and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills over approximately six months.
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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By Mark Moran - Producer-Editor, Contact - News
Big Sky Connection - A local advocacy group is working to reduce Bozeman's affordable housing crunch by calling on young people to make their voices heard at the city level. Forward Montana says more than half of Bozeman's residents are renters, and lower-income people are being forced to the edges of town. But there are some positive developments. Comments from Jacqueline Aaron, voter engagement and housing organizer, Forward Montana.
Mark Moran
September 3, 2024 - An advocacy group in Bozeman is calling on young people and low-income renters to take on the city's notorious housing crunch.
More than half of the people who live in Bozeman are renters. The latest Community Housing Needs Assessment showed Bozeman needs up to 6,300 housing units in the next 5 years just to keep up with job growth.
Jacqueline Aaron, voter engagement and housing organizer for the advocacy group Forward Montana, said people who can least afford it are paying more than 50% of their income on rent and even then, not living where they want to.
"The units are being built out on the edges of town, sprawling into our agricultural land, getting pushed outside of the community," Aaron pointed out. "I think a lot of people who really thrive in our urban center and want to be participating in the parts of community life that they value here."
Aaron argued Bozeman's development codes should reflect the desire for people to be able to live closer to town and said it was a common theme at a recent hearing. Officials will hold a work session Sept. 17 to discuss ways to address the housing shortage within the bounds of Bozeman's existing and future ordinances.
Forward Montana said 60% of the housing units in Bozeman should be priced below market value to meet the full range of community housing needs. Aaron emphasized Bozeman's more established residents have had a large hand in shaping the town's housing ordinances, and she is encouraging young people to make their voices heard as the Bozeman City Commission considers what is next for the Affordable Housing Ordinance.
"We're missing out on this over 55% of people who are renting, and a good chunk of those are these young people that are affected," Aaron stressed.
Bozeman officials voiced support during a recent hearing for adding more than 1,600 affordable housing units in town, and there are more on the horizon. Communities now use incentives to encourage developers to build affordable housing.
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