Evirso Real Ampude, Drug Trafficking, Montana 2023

GREAT FALLS, Mont. – Evirso Real Ampude, a 48-year-old Mexican national known on the streets as “Poncho,” is headed to federal prison after receiving a two-year sentence for flooding the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation with methamphetamine and fentanyl. U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced the sentencing Monday, a small victory in a losing war against the poison seeping into Montana’s tribal lands.

Ampude pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, admitting to a drug pipeline that stretched from south of the border to the reservation. According to court documents, law enforcement began tracking “Poncho” in the fall of 2021, following reports from multiple witnesses who claimed to have purchased meth, fentanyl, or both directly from him. Several individuals also confessed to assisting Ampude in distributing the deadly drugs throughout the community.

The bust came in August 2022, during a routine traffic stop. Officers discovered a fentanyl pill and half a gram of methamphetamine in Ampude’s possession. But the real tell wasn’t the street-level stash; it was the $8,000 in cash and three cell phones found crammed inside the vehicle – the tools of a full-fledged trafficking operation. It’s a familiar story: quick cash, disposable phones, and a callous disregard for the lives ruined in its wake.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ethan R. Plaut and Wendy A. Johnson led the prosecution, piecing together witness testimony and forensic evidence to secure the conviction. The investigation was a multi-agency effort, involving the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Border Patrol, Tri-Agency Task Force, and Montana Highway Patrol. Despite the collaborative effort, the sheer volume of drugs crossing the border suggests this is just one head of a hydra.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris handed down the sentence, also ordering three years of supervised release following Ampude’s prison term. The case is being touted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods,” a broad initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence. But flowery language about safer neighborhoods doesn’t address the root causes driving addiction and desperation on reservations like Rocky Boy’s.

While two years may keep Ampude off the streets temporarily, it’s unlikely to stem the tide of drugs flowing into Montana. The demand remains, and another trafficker will inevitably step in to fill the void. The cycle continues, fueled by greed and leaving a trail of broken lives in its wake. The feds can announce all the ‘projects’ they want, but until they address the underlying issues, these sentences will remain a temporary bandage on a gaping wound.

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