Methamphetamine Trafficking Rings Cracked in Missoula, Montana

MISSOULA – A large methamphetamine trafficking ring operating in Missoula, Montana, has been dismantled, and two key players have been sentenced to prison terms.

Laura Jeanne Haacke, 46, and Jennifer Renee Hawkes, 40, were found guilty of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it. According to Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson, Haacke and Hawkes were part of a large-scale operation that involved pounds of the drug. Haacke pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth, while Hawkes also entered a guilty plea in May to the same crime.

The sentencing, which took place in U.S. District Court, saw Haacke receive a 54-month prison term, followed by five years of supervised release. Hawkes, on the other hand, was sentenced to 63 months in prison, with a post-release requirement of five years of supervised release. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy.

According to court documents, the government alleged that Haacke, Hawkes, and co-defendants Jason Dean Hager and Terry David Starrett conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Missoula from January 2018 through January 2021. The operation involved numerous pounds of the drug, with Starrett and Hager each pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. They are pending sentencing.

Law enforcement officials learned that Haacke stored methamphetamine for her co-defendant Starrett in a trap floor at her residence. When questioned by law enforcement, Haacke admitted to using methamphetamine and storing numerous pounds of the drug at her residence in February 2019. The government further alleged that in July 2019, Hawkes supplied a person with approximately two ounces of methamphetamine. Following the transaction, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hawkes’s residence, recovering an additional three pounds of methamphetamine.

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

The sentences handed down to Haacke and Hawkes mark a significant victory in the fight against methamphetamine trafficking in Missoula, Montana. The operation, which involved numerous pounds of the drug, highlights the need for continued efforts to combat this illicit activity.

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