Laura Jeanne Haacke, Jason Dean Hager, Jennifer Renee Hawkes, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Montana 2021

MISSOULA – In a shocking turn of events, three Missoula area residents have been brought to justice for their involvement in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking ring. Laura Jeanne Haacke, 46, Jennifer Renee Hawkes, 39, and Jason Dean Hager, 55, each pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a crime that comes with severe consequences.

According to court documents, the government alleged that Haacke, Hawkes, Hager, and a fourth co-defendant, Terry David Starrett, conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Missoula from January 2018 through January 2021. Starrett pleaded guilty on May 11 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The government alleged that officers learned through confidential informants that Haacke stored methamphetamine for a drug distributor and at one point had 40 pounds of methamphetamine in a trap floor at her residence. When interviewed by law enforcement, Haacke admitted that she used methamphetamine and that in February 2019, she had about 80 pounds of methamphetamine stored in her residence. Eighty pounds of methamphetamine is the equivalent of about 289,920 doses.

The government further alleged that in July 2019, Hawkes supplied a person with about two ounces of methamphetamine. After the transaction, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hawkes’ residence and recovered an additional three pounds of methamphetamine.

The government also alleged that in December 2019, Hager sold methamphetamine to an undercover informant three times in monitored transactions. Agents further learned that a confidential informant saw Hager with one and one-half pounds of methamphetamine and that he helped a co-defendant move numerous pounds of methamphetamine and kept some to use as his own supply.

Haacke and Hawkes face a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release. Hager faces a mandatory minimum five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, and four years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for December 16 for all defendants. Hager and Hawkes were detained, while Haacke was released pending further proceedings.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force, Missoula Police Department, and Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott is prosecuting the case.

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