Washington meth dealer sentenced to prison

HELENA—A Washington woman who admitted dealing methamphetamine in Helena, including selling it to an undercover officer in a car wash, was sentenced today to 97 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Breanne Marie Bame, 40, of Kenmore, WA, pleaded guilty in October to distribution of meth.

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

The prosecution said in court records in the case that in November 2018, a co-defendant offered to sell an undercover officer 13 ounces of meth for $6,000. Later, in a controlled purchase with the co-defendant in Helena, the officer got into the co-defendant's car, where Bame also was seated. The co-defendant introduced Bame as "boss lady Bre." The officer said he had only $4,500 and asked if he could buy 10 ounces of meth. The co-defendant asked Bame for approval, Bame gave the go ahead and the deal was conducted. Bame later told law enforcement agents in an interview that she had traveled to Montana with the co-defendant and confirmed that they had sold meth at a car wash in Helena.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Montana Highway Patrol, the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, the Helena Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 to 2018. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.