Great Falls man admits meth trafficking, money laundering crimes

GREAT FALLS — A Great Falls man suspected of supplying methamphetamine to local dealers, laundering the proceeds and storing more than 100 pounds of the drug and a firearm in an Arizona storage unit admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Daniel Allen Wakeford, 60, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging him with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth and to money laundering. Wakeford faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised released on the drug charge. He also faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of not more than the greater of the value of the property, funds or monetary instruments involved in the transactions or $250,000 and three years of supervised release on the money laundering charge.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Feb. 19. Wakeford was detained pending further proceedings.

“The staggering amount of meth we seized was enough for approximately one-third of Montanans to use. This case shows we will go anywhere and pursue anyone for the harm they’re causing Montanans. Wakeford’s guilty plea is validation of these efforts,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned that Wakeford was involved in distributing meth in the Great Falls area and elsewhere and that numerous individuals had received meth from him for resale from approximately 2020 to 2024. In February 2024, law enforcement apprehended in Billings an individual who possessed meth. The individual outlined how he assisted Wakeford in packaging several hundred thousand dollars in cash, had received meth from Wakeford in Great Falls and that Wakeford indicated he was conspiring to distribute a significant amount of meth.

The investigation determined that Wakeford did not have a significant source of legitimate income, however, in November 2022, Wakeford paid approximately $16,534 for a new snowmobile in Great Falls. After Wakeford was indicted in the case, law enforcement searched his Great Falls home and located documents for a storage unit he leased in Phoenix, Arizona. Law enforcement arrested Wakeford in Utah on a federal warrant while he was driving a motorhome valued at more than $40,000. Inside the motorhome, law enforcement located more than $60,000 in cash and additional documents related the storage unit. Federal agents in Arizona served a search warrant on the storage unit and located more than 100 pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of approximately 362,400 doses, and a firearm. The items are pictured here:

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS, Great Falls Police Department and Russell Country Drug Task Force 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 Justice.gov/PSN.

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