A federal judge in Great Falls sentenced an Oregon man to over seven years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking methamphetamine in Helena. U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced the sentence for Olin Carl Herendeen, 48, from Salem, Oregon. Herendeen pleaded guilty in August 2024 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris oversaw the proceedings. Court documents revealed that in June 2022, the Missouri River Drug Task Force investigated a woman accused of leading a drug trafficking operation that brought meth and fentanyl into Helena from Washington. Herendeen was implicated as part of this ring and assisted in transporting drugs from Washington to Montana.
In February 2023, while on state probation, Herendeen was found with live ammunition during a visit to the state probation and parole office in Helena. He admitted to having multiple firearms in his vehicle, which law enforcement confirmed along with AR-15 parts and approximately one ounce of meth.
During questioning, Herendeen confessed to trafficking between 50 and 70 pounds of methamphetamine and about 40,000 pills with the leader of the ring over the year before his arrest. Seventy pounds of meth equates to roughly 253,680 doses. He also acknowledged carrying a firearm for protection during some trips to resupply drugs from Washington.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case with investigations conducted by the Missouri River Drug Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aiming to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, enhancing PSN with principles such as fostering trust within communities and supporting organizations that work to prevent violence.