Browning man pleads guilty to drug possession on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS – A Browning man accused of possessing methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to charges yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

The defendant, Clay Darwin Flamand, 54, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Flamand faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for October 1, 2025. Flamand was released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned Flamand was rumored to be providing a large quantity of methamphetamine to the Blackfeet Reservation in June and July 2024. On June 20, 2024, law enforcement arranged a controlled purchase of meth from Flamand. 

On June 26, 2024, another controlled purchase was attempted. The sale did not occur, but law enforcement learned Flamand’s source of supply had just left for California to pick up methamphetamine

On July 11, 2024, law enforcement officers with the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted a traffic stop. The driver told law enforcement his friend received methamphetamine from Flamand in the last couple of days and was planning to get more that evening. The friend of the driver reported Flamand had 10 pounds of methamphetamine at his residence. Also on July 11, 2024, a different witness contacted law enforcement and said Flamand’s source of supply had just returned to the Blackfeet reservation from California, was at Flamand’s residence, and had brought 10 pounds of methamphetamine.

Law enforcement obtained a tribal search warrant for Flamand’s residence. When they executed the warrant, Flamand was at the residence. Law enforcement seized over 400 grams of methamphetamine, $6,590 in U.S. currency, firearms, and drug paraphernalia.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case. The BIA, DEA and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

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