Larson

I.

Background

In 2003, the Great Falls Police Department began investi- gating a number of drug dealers in the Great Falls, Montana area. In April 2003, the Department paid informant Connie Riggs to make a controlled purchase of 1.8 grams of metham- phetamine from Larson. The police unsuccessfully attempted 1 Defendants do not challenge their sentences. UNITED STATES v. LARSON 9145 a second controlled buy from Larson through Riggs. In Octo- ber 2003, informant Jason Gilstrap made two controlled pur- chases of methamphetamine from Laverdure, one in the amount of 1.46 grams and the other in the amount of 1.79 grams. In December 2003, a third informant purchased 3.2 grams of methamphetamine from Joy Lynn Poitra and her cousin, Rick Lee Lamere. Two weeks later, the same infor- mant purchased another twenty-one grams of methamphet- amine from Poitra.

On July 23, 2004, a federal grand jury indicted Larson, Laverdure, Poitra, and Lamere in a single indictment, charg- ing each with one count of conspiracy to possess metham- phetamine with intent to distribute.2 The Government informed Lamere that because he had at least two prior felony drug convictions, he…