A Great Falls woman was sentenced to 54 months in prison for her role in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking operation.
Ashley Nicole Rico, 34, pleaded guilty in October 2021 to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, Rico pooled money with co-defendants and traveled with them to Las Vegas, Nevada, to buy meth. Rico waited while co-defendants went to the source and purchased the meth and then traveled back to Montana with them.
Law enforcement intervened before Rico received her portion of the meth. Law enforcement seized approximately seven pounds of meth. Officers ultimately stopped a vehicle being driven by co-defendant Lillian Lapier and found about 3.6 pounds of meth in the trunk.
Law enforcement also executed a search warrant on the Helena residence of co-defendant, Rhonda Lapier, and located three, one-pound bags of meth and $6,132 in a bedroom. Officers stopped another suspect vehicle, driven by Rico, who was arrested on a state warrant.
Rico admitted to distributing meth in Great Falls and that she and others had traveled to Las Vegas, picked up meth there and had contributed $1,000 to the deal. Seven pounds of meth is the equivalent of approximately 25,368 doses.
The case was investigated by the Russell Country Drug Task Force, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, FBI, Great Falls Police Department, Cascade County Sheriff’s Office and Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut prosecuted the case, which was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime.
Rico will serve four years of supervised release after her prison term.
Related Federal Cases
- Lynda Diane Good, Jr., Methamphetamine Trafficking, Montana 2024 · Missouri
- Thomas Dieruf, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2023 · Idaho
- Kimberly Rosamond Fanslau, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2019 · Idaho
- Roy Allen Shostak, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2020 · Montana
- Max Dudley Stilson, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2021 · Montana
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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