Meth ring brought pound quantities into the Flathead

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A former Hungry Horse and Martin City woman was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, while her boyfriend at the time was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

The two were part of a distribution ring that brought pound quantities of meth into the Flathead over the past few years. Six members of that ring have now been sentenced to federal prison.

Diane Walters, aka Diane Alsop, 37, whose last known residence was in Bonney Lake, Wash., was sentenced in federal court in Missoula on Oct. 16. The 1994 Columbia Falls High School graduate was also ordered to complete five years of supervised release.

Derek Heft, 27, of Kalispell, was also ordered to complete five years of supervised release. Both had entered guilty pleas on July 2 and were detained.

The Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, Montana Division of Criminal Investigations and Homeland Security Investigations began investigating illegal meth distribution activities by Heft and several others, including Brandon Torgenrud, 29, of Polson, and Thomas Bell, 45, of Tacoma, Wash., in August 2011.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Elliot, Heft received pound quantities of meth from Bell and another individual from Washington state.

On Oct. 24, 2011, agents detained Bell, Heft and Walters at a store in Kalispell. A search of Heft’s Ford Mustang turned up more than 700 grams of methamphetamine, two shotguns, a pistol, U.S. currency and cellular phones.

Heft also had a loaded 9 mm handgun on his person at the time of the arrest. A search of Bell’s vehicle allegedly turned up less than 1 1/2 ounces of meth, $13,650 in cash and a silver handgun with the serial numbers filed off.

Walters allegedly admitted that she accompanied Heft when he met with meth suppliers. She said she accompanied Heft and Torgenrud to Las Vegas on Oct. 21, 2011, where they received one pound of meth and transported it back to Montana.

On Oct. 11, Bell was sentenced to 16 years 8 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release, and Torgenrud was sentenced to seven years in prison and five years of supervised release.

A third individual linked to the meth ring, Lucas Brager, 30, Kalispell, was sentenced on Oct. 12 to 11 years 3 months in prison and seven years of supervised release. All three had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth.

Brager admitted to investigators that he had been employed by Torgenrud, Heft and a third person as “muscle to assist in collecting drug debts” from meth distributors and customers. He said he was paid about 30 to 50 percent of what he was able to collect from meth traffickers. He said he was paid in meth, cash or merchandise.

On Oct. 19, Brandy Burkowski, 26, of Trego, was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison and 5 years of supervised release after she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Prosecutors claim Burkowski and Brager were trafficking pound quantities of meth from California to Flathead County.

Burkowski told investigators she initially provided meth to Heft but later was receiving meth from him. She admitted to distributing about two pounds of meth every other week in the Flathead and bringing about 20 ounces of meth from Casper, Wyo., to the Flathead every week for two years.