Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on February 26, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, EDMUND PAUL VAISVILAS, a 34-year-old resident of White Sulphur Springs, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for June 5, 2008. 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:

Between April of 2006, and continuing through July of 2007, VAISVILAS, Marvin Mullen, and Marlena Harringer were involved in a conspiracy with several other individuals to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine in Meagher, Mineral, Lewis and Clark, and Gallatin counties.

Mullen and Harringer pled to federal charges and are awaiting sentencing.

VAISVILAS faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, an $8,000,000 fine and 10 years supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman and Helena Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Meagher County Sheriff's Office, the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office in California.

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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.