CASPER — A 49-year-old woman who pleaded guilty Thursday to ten drug-related charges will serve up to eight years in prison for her role as a mule in the trafficking of cocaine, fentanyl, and meth from Colorado to Wyoming.
Heather Marie Russell consents to “testify honestly” against “known and unknown” co-conspirators in the business that transported drugs from Colorado to Natrona County and subsequently sold them to local consumers as part of the plea agreement.
District Court Judge Catherine Wilking’s plea agreement between Russell’s lawyer Steven Iberlin and his office was described Thursday by Natrona County Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson.
Nelson claimed that the agreement was the result of combining two different cases against Russell.
On the radar of DCI
According to court documents, agents from the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigation started investigating Russell’s ties to the drug scene in Natrona County in December 2023 and kept going until August 29, 2024.
Iberlin informed the judge that his client wanted to be sentenced on Thursday in addition to accepting the plea agreement.
He stated, “Ms. Russell has been behind bars for a long time.”
Wilking went over each of the ten charges with Russell, accepted the plea bargain, and combined the cases.
Russell answered the judge clearly when he appeared in court wearing purple jail attire. When Wilking asked if she was taking any medications, she informed the judge that she was on Suboxone.
The medication is used to treat addiction to opioids.
“I am appreciative of my sobriety,” Russell stated.
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.
Russell told the judge during Wilking’s interrogation that the possession of felony weight charges included approximately “200 pills” of fentanyl, 7 grams of cocaine, and 8 or 9 grams of meth.
Russell, who has lived in Colorado for five years, told the court that she was “able to get” what people were looking for.
“Is it true that you had a source in Colorado?” Wilking inquired.
“Yes,” Russell replied.
She concurred with the judge that she occasionally transported the drugs with other individuals and had buyers in Natrona County.
‘Substantial’ Amount of Drugs
Russell’s actions “involved a substantial amount of drugs being trafficked over a significant period of time,” Nelson told the court.
Nelson informed the judge that as part of the plea agreement, his office had decided to sentence Russell to four to seven years in prison for the three felony weight charges of possession of a controlled substance, which included cocaine, meth, and fentanyl.
Four to eight-year sentences would be imposed on the other felony charges of conspiracy to deliver a controlled substance, possession with intent to deliver, and delivery of a controlled substance.
Nelson stated that all of the sentences would be served simultaneously.
Nelson stated that Russell’s 276 days of jail time would be used to settle the two misdemeanor possession charges.
Iberlin informed the judge prior to sentencing that his client had changed from the person he had met a year ago to “a different human being.”
Russell apologized to the judge for the harm her addiction and deeds caused to the community.
She declared, “I am accepting responsibility for my actions here.” “I apologize for the negative impact I have had on the community.”
After that, Wilking gave Russell 276 days credit for time served and sentenced her in accordance with the terms of the plea deal. She ordered Russell to reimburse the DCI for $150 spent on various drug purchases during their investigation as part of the court costs.
According to court documents, DCI’s investigation of Russell followed her as she traveled between Colorado and Natrona County to purchase drugs. Beginning in February 2024, agents conducted controlled purchases from Russell, and informants and fellow conspirators identified Russell as a fentanyl supplier.
Cash App Search
Seven grams of cocaine were discovered in the car when the Wyoming Highway Patrol stopped Russell on a Colorado extradition warrant on August 29, 2024.
Following a search warrant, a DCI examined Russell’s phone in September 2024 and found a Cash App account with “several thousand dollars in payments,” according to an affidavit.
Additionally, agents secured a search warrant for Russell and her co-conspirators’ Cash App of a “known source of supply” (SOS). They discovered that Russell and two other conspirators sent almost $45,000 to the “SOS” between December 2023 and August 2024.
Russell also used a “peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace app,” which enables car owners to rent cars to other people, according to the DCI affidavit.
Russell frequently used it to notify car owners that a relative had a stroke and needed to keep the vehicle longer, or that a relative’s flight was delayed.
In the affidavit, it is stated that Russell averaged 800 miles on each of the three vehicles and did not possess any of them for more than three days. Russell was “probably using these vehicles to move a lot of controlled substances from Colorado to Natrona County, Wyoming,” according to the DCI agent.
