Elizabeth Theresa Smith, Drug Trafficking, Wyoming 2020

Wyoming Woman Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

A Riverton woman has been sentenced for her role in a conspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine in Fremont County and the Wind River Reservation.

Elizabeth Theresa Smith, 38, of Riverton, was sentenced to 216 months in prison – 156 months for the drug conspiracy and a consecutive 60 months for possession of a firearm during the conspiracy, according to Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray.

Smith was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, alongside co-defendants Kevin Vanndara Chanthapannha and Kenneth Blake Wood.

The investigation revealed that Smith and Chanthapannha were obtaining multiple ounces of heroin and as much as a pound of methamphetamine on a near monthly basis, for more than a year, from sources of supply in the Salt Lake City, Utah area and bringing those drugs back to Lander for distribution throughout Fremont County and the Wind River Reservation.

The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation identified Smith and Chanthapannha as supplying significant quantities of heroin and methamphetamine throughout Fremont County. They were arrested on May 21, 2020, during a joint operation involving the DCI and law enforcement officers with the Lander Police Department, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Wind River Police Department.

Wood served as a key dealer for Smith and Chanthapannha and purchased from them on an almost daily basis. He received a 21-month prison sentence for his involvement in the conspiracy.

'It’s disheartening to see people like the defendants not only succumb to their addictions, but to then watch them profit from selling large quantities of meth and heroin to members of their community, ultimately destroying people’s lives,' said Acting United States Attorney Bob Murray. 'We will not sit idly by and let criminals like Smith, Chanthapannha and Wood wreak havoc on the Fremont County communities and the Wind River Reservation by peddling drugs that cause a vicious cycle of addiction and crime.'

The crime was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lander Police Department. The United States was represented by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy W. Gist.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wy/pr/drug-trafficking-group-sentenced-distributing-heroin-and-methamphetamine-wind-river