Mexican national admits role in transporting 29 pounds of meth to Bozeman, Billings

BILLINGS — A Mexican national today admitted her role in a methamphetamine trafficking scheme in which she transported 25 pounds of the drug to Billings and four pounds of meth to Bozeman from Denver, Colorado, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Risela Anahid Heredia Soberanes, 32, pleaded guilty to a superseding information charging her with possession with intent to distribute meth. Soberanes faces a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Soberanes was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in mid-July 2022, law enforcement made a controlled purchase of cocaine in Bozeman from a person later identified as co-defendant Isidro Vega Carmona. Another co-defendant, identified at Victor Ocampo, was with Carmona during the purchase. About a month later, Carmona and another person, known as “Guero,” agreed to sell an undercover individual four pounds of meth for $18,000. In late August, the undercover went to Carmona’s residence to purchase the four pounds of meth. Prior to the purchase, law enforcement observed a white Honda Accord with a Colorado license plate arrive at Carmona’s residence. Soberanes got out of the Honda and retrieved items from the trunk. Later investigation confirmed that Soberanes had delivered the meth to Carmona on behalf of “Guero.”

The government further alleged that in October 2022, Carmona offered to sell the undercover 25 pounds of meth for $100,000 and that he would deliver it to Billings. On Oct. 12, 2022, Carmona contacted the undercover and confirmed that Soberanes was again driving the 25 pounds of meth to Billings from Denver and that he would meet the undercover in Billings. Law enforcement observed the Honda Accord at a residence on the 200 block of Broadwater Avenue, where Soberanes parked the vehicle and entered the residence. Carmona then contacted the undercover and ultimately gave instructions to meet him at the Northern Hotel in downtown Billings. Law enforcement observed Carmona and Ocampo get out of a truck and remove a large rolling suitcase from the trunk of the Honda. Carmona began walking with the suitcase in the direction of the Northern Hotel, while Ocampo drove the Honda toward the hotel. Law enforcement arrested Carmona on the street, while he was still in possession of the suitcase, and Ocampo as he was walking away from the Honda near a downtown intersection. Law enforcement arrested Soberanes at the Broadwater Avenue residence while she was sitting in Carmona’s pickup truck. Officers served a federal search warrant on the suitcase and found 25 pounds of meth in numerous plastic bags and several items of female clothing. Twenty-nine pounds of meth is the equivalent of approximately 105,000 doses. Soberanes admitted in an interview that she received the suitcase from “Guero,” who instructed her to deliver it to Billings.

Carmona and Ocampo have pleaded not guilty to charges and are pending trial in the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin M. Rubich is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.

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.

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