Two California brothers were sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a narcotics trafficking enterprise that smuggled meth and fentanyl into Butte and Helena, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana stated today.
Martin Topete, a 33-year-old resident of Mira Loma, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, along with five years of supervised release.
Johnathan Topete, 28, from Mira Loma, has also been given a sentence of 10 years in prison, along with five years of supervised release.
Between June 2022 and January 2023, court records indicate that the Topete brothers, along with six co-defendants, were involved in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine and fentanyl in Montana.
In June 2022, the Utah Highway Patrol uncovered a scheme when they apprehended an individual in possession of 3.5 pounds of meth and 6,000 fentanyl pills. This incident shed light on the illegal activities taking place.
The drugs were meant to be distributed in Butte by Juan Felipe Vidrio Fuentes, a co-defendant from Anaheim, California. Fuentes was staying at a residence in Whitehall, Montana, according to the department.
Law enforcement agencies conducted coordinated raids on residences in Whitehall and Butte after further investigations led to the interception of packages containing thousands of fentanyl pills. These packages were discovered to have been mailed from California to various addresses in the aforementioned cities.
The Butte raid carried out by the U.S. Attorney’s Office led to the confiscation of six pounds of methamphetamine, 208 grams of fentanyl, a sum of $15,000 in cash, and seven firearms.
Investigators discovered seven pounds of meth and 68 grams of fentanyl at the Helena residence.
The department claimed that Martin Topete played a crucial role as one of the leaders of the trafficking ring. He was responsible for coordinating drug shipments from California and working closely with Fuentes to distribute the drugs across the region.
According to the department, Johnathan, his brother, has been implicated in aiding drug distribution, laundering illicit profits, and acquiring firearms for the operation.
U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich stated that the Topete brothers, along with eight other defendants from Montana and California, were responsible for bringing an alarming quantity of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills into the Butte and Helena communities over a span of about six months.
“The collective sentence for the brothers amounts to 30 years in federal prison. This successful prosecution has resulted in the removal of a significant amount of drugs and guns from our streets, and we remain committed to seeking justice against individuals who contribute to the poisoning of our state and nation.”
