CASPER — A 49-year-old woman who acted as a mule to traffic meth, fentanyl and cocaine to Wyoming from Colorado will spend up to eight years in prison, pleading guilty Thursday to 10 drug-related charges.
As part of the plea deal, Heather Marie Russell agrees to “testify honestly” against “known and unknown” co-conspirators in the enterprise that brought drugs from Colorado to Natrona County, then sold them to local buyers.
Natrona County Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson outlined the plea deal between his office, Russell and her attorney Steven Iberlin for District Court Judge Catherine Wilking on Thursday.
Nelson said two separate cases against Russell had been combined to create the deal.
On DCI’s Radar
Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation agents first began looking at Russell’s connections to the Natrona County drug scene in December 2023 and continued to investigate her through Aug. 29, 2024, according to court documents.
Iberlin told the judge that his client not only wanted to enter the plea deal,but wanted to be sentenced Thursday as well.
“Ms. Russell has been incarcerated for quite some time,” he said.
Wilking agreed to accept the plea deal, combine the cases and went through each of the 10 charges with Russell.
Russell appeared in court in purple jail clothing and answered the judge in a clear voice. She told the judge she was on Suboxone when Wilking asked if she was taking any medications.
The drug is used to treat opioid addictions.
“I do have my sobriety, which I am grateful for,” Russell said.
The Charges
As part of the deal, Russell then pleaded guilty to:
• One count of delivery of a controlled substance involving fentanyl stemming from her actions between Feb. 5-11, 2024.
• Two counts of misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance involving fentanyl in February 2024 and fentanyl on Aug. 28, 2024.
• Two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliverinvolving dealing fentanyl Aug. 17, 2024, and cocaine on Aug. 29, 2024.
• Three counts of possession of a controlled substance involving a felony weight. The charges involve meth on Aug. 17, 2024, fentanyl on Aug. 17, 2024, and cocaine on Aug. 29, 2024.
• Two counts of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance stemming from her actions from Dec. 1, 2023, to Aug. 29, 2024, and involving fentanyl and cocaine.
Under questioning from Wilking, Russell told the judge that the possession of felony weight charges involved around “200 pills” of fentanyl, 7 grams of cocaine and 8 or 9 grams of meth.
Russell told the court that she was “able to get” what people were looking for and had been a resident of Colorado for five years.
“You had a source in Colorado, is that correct?” Wilking asked.
“Yes,” Russell said.
She agreed with the judge that she had buyers in Natrona County and would “at times” transport the drugs with other people.
‘Substantial’ Amount of Drugs
Nelson told the court that Russell’s actions “involved a substantial amount of drugs being trafficked over a significant period of time.”
Under the plea deal, Nelson told the judge his office agreed for Russell to be sentenced to four to seven years for the three possession of a controlled substance felony weight charges that involved cocaine, meth and fentanyl.
The other felony charges involving delivery of a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance would all receive four-to-eight-year sentences.
All the sentences would be served concurrently, Nelson said.
The two misdemeanor possession charges would be settled through Russell’s 276 days of jail time that has already been served, Nelson said.
Prior to sentencing, Iberlin told the judge that his client is now “a different human being” from the one he had met a year ago.
Russell told the judge that she’s remorseful for how her addiction and actions impacted the community.
“I am taking accountability for my actions here,” she said. “I apologize for the detrimental effect on the community that I have had.”
Wilking then sentenced her according to the plea agreement and gave Russell 276 days credit for time served. Among the court costs she ordered Russell to repay the $150 used by DCI in various drug buys during their investigation.
Court records state that DCI’s investigation of Russell tracked her traveling between Natrona County and Colorado to buy drugs. Agents did controlled buys from Russell starting in February 2024, and informants and co-conspirators pointed to Russell as a source for fentanyl.
Cash App Search
During a Aug. 29, 2024, traffic stop, Wyoming Highway Patrol detained Russell on a Colorado extradition warrant and found 7 grams of cocaine in the vehicle.
In September 2024, a DCI review of Russell’s cellphone after a search warrant revealed a Cash App account that showed “several thousand dollars in payments,” an affidavit states.
Agents also obtained a search warrant for the Cash App of a “known source of supply” (SOS) for Russell and her co-conspirators. They found that between December 2023 and August 2024, nearly $45,000 was sent to the “SOS” by Russell and two co-conspirators.
The DCI affidavit also shows that Russell used a “peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace app” that allows car owners to rent vehicles to others.
Russell used it often and would send messages to car owners that arelative’s flight was delayed or another relative had a stroke and needed to keep the vehicle longer.
“Between three of the vehicles, Russell averaged 800 miles on each of the vehicles and was not in possession of any of the vehicles longer than three days,” the affidavit states. The DCI agent “speculates that Russell was utilizing these vehicles to transport large amounts of controlled substances from Colorado to Natrona County, Wyoming.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
