A man and woman who admitted to meth trafficking and firearms crimes were sentenced today to prison after their vehicle was stopped near Missoula and law enforcement found more than a pound of meth inside, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Tavia Dion Blume, 40, of Monroe, Washington, was sentenced to 14 years in prison and five years of supervised release.

Co-defendant Kyle Douglas Alverson, 25, of Lake Stevens, Washington, was sentenced to 14 years and 11 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

Both Blume and Alverson pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute meth and to possess with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said Blume and Alverson conspired with others to distribute meth and also possessed firearms for protection. The Montana Highway Patrol stopped a vehicle Blume was driving on Dec. 16. 2018 on Interstate 90 east of Missoula. Alverson was a passenger. Law enforcement seized the vehicle and served a search warrant on the vehicle. During the search, officers found three firearms and ammunition, seized about 692 grams, or about 1.5 pounds, of meth, $1,280 in U.S. currency and other items. One-and-one-half pounds of meth is the equivalent of 5,436 doses.

When interviewed by law enforcement, Blume said she had started selling narcotics to pay off debts and admitted to having a gambling problem. Blume would buy meth and heroin from her source in Washington for resale in Montana. When arrested, Blume was on her fourth trip.

Alverson bought meth to resell from Blume and her source of supply. Together, Blume and Alverson decided he would get a Glock .380 caliber pistol, which was found in the vehicle. Blume admitted that she owned a Phoenix Arms .22LR caliber pistol and a Taurus 9mm pistol and had the firearms for protection from being robbed while dealing drugs. The two firearms also were found in the vehicle.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Montana Highway Patrol and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.

Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell presided.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.