Great Falls woman who distributed meth throughout central Montana sentenced to prison

GREAT FALLS—A federal judge on Thursday sentenced Donny Lynn Ferguson, of Great Falls, to 10 years and eight months in prison and five years of supervised release for conviction on distributing large quantities of meth in central Montana and on two Indian reservations, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Ferguson, 39, pleaded guilty in September to possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

Prosecutors said evidence would show that since at least November 2016, law enforcement received information that Ferguson was dealing multi-pound quantities of meth throughout the state but that her primary area was Great Falls, Lewistown, Havre and the Rocky Boy’s and Fort Belknap Indian Reservations. Sources also confirmed that Ferguson typically carried firearms for her protection in her drug trade.

In April 2018, law enforcement seized more than 2.8 pounds of meth from a Lewistown home and learned that Ferguson had previously supplied meth to the occupants.

Two months later, agents stopped Ferguson outside of Polson and found her in possession of about two pounds of meth, small amounts of heroin and cocaine, a firearm and ammunition, drug paraphernalia and more than $6,000 cash. Two pounds of meth is the equivalent of about 7,248 doses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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