ADRIEN MONTRE BEAVERS PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings on August 17, 2006, before U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, ADRIEN MONTRE BEAVERS, a 22-year-old resident of Spokane, Washington, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of cocaine base and distribution of over 50 grams of cocaine base. Sentencing is set for November 14, 2006. He is currently detained.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

From the spring of 2004 to July 30, 2005, BEAVERS provided a co-conspirator with a total of 16-20 ounces of cocaine, with 2-3 ounces in the form of crack cocaine or cocaine.

From August of 2004 to August of 2005, BEAVERS made five or six trips to Washington to pick up cocaine. On one trip, BEAVERS was accompanied by a co-conspirator. BEAVERS picked up "a brick" of powder cocaine, weighing sixteen to seventeen ounces, from another co-conspirator in Washington.

In March of 2005, BEAVERS asked another co-defendant to hold one ounce of powder cocaine for him. This co-defendant later began selling cocaine for BEAVERS. BEAVERS made four trips to Washington to pick up cocaine. On the first three trips, BEAVERS picked up 8 ounces per trip, for a total of 24 ounces of powder cocaine. BEAVERS brought back 18 ounces of cocaine on the last trip. The total amount of powder cocaine brought back on the four trips was 42 ounces. The co-defendant received four to five ounces of powder cocaine from two other co-conspirators, who had received the cocaine from BEAVERS. The powder cocaine was converted to crack and sold.

On April 6, 2005, an officer with the drug task force performed a search of a co-defendant's vehicle. Recovered during the search were 14.7 grams of 85% cocaine base. Also recovered was crack cocaine, which the co-defendant stated came from BEAVERS.

On July 22, 2005, officers with the Montana Probation and Parole conducted a search of a residence in Billings. Recovered were 125 grams of cocaine and wire transfers to BEAVERS and another co-conspirator.

On August 2, 2005, another co-conspirator traveled to Butte and picked up an ounce of crack cocaine from BEAVERS.

Other cooperating witnesses and co-defendants would have testified to BEAVERS' role in the overall conspiracy and that the amounts involved in the conspiracy exceeded 150 grams of cocaine base.

BEAVERS faces possible penalties of 10 years to life in prison, a $4,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Seykora prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Billing Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.