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Drug ring consisting of former MSU athletes busted
By TED SULLIVAN, Chronicle Staff Writer
A drug-dealing cartel consisting of former Montana State University athletes who were known as the main suppliers of cocaine in Bozeman was busted this week after the arrest of a former MSU football player and his brother.
Former wide receiver Richard Demond Gatewood, 23, and his brother, Randy Lamar Gatewood, 21, both of Bozeman, appeared in federal court in Missoula Wednesday on two federal complaints alleging they were selling cocaine and conspiring to sell cocaine in Bozeman from June 2005 to May 2007, according to court records.
Both men are being held in Missoula County's jail. Bail has not been set.
According to federal court records, another former MSU football player who goes by the street names of “Demetrius,” “D” or “DW” has been the leader of a drug-dealing gang with at least six drug “runners” in Bozeman for two years.
One of those runners, Rick Gatewood, allegedly used his athletic scholarship money to help bring cocaine to Bozeman from “DW's” supplier in Fairfield, Calif.
The drug-dealing organization is “the main supplier of cocaine to the Bozeman area” and sold cocaine and marijuana to MSU and Bozeman High School students, according to an 18-page affidavit of probable cause filed in U.S. District Court.
The group “was well known by word of mouth among drug buyers in Bozeman that cocaine distributed in Bozeman came from ‘DW's' group and that ‘DW' was ‘running' Bozeman,” according to the affidavit.
The drug-dealing group was also trafficking cocaine in Helena, Missoula, Kalispell and Billings, according to court records.
The FBI, Missouri River Drug Task Force and Gallatin County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation that led to the arrests, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Thursday. No one from any of those offices involved in the investigation would comment on the Gatewoods' case Thursday.
They also declined to comment on the identity of “DW” or whether he has been arrested or charged with any crimes.
Although the Gatewoods were arrested, they have not been charged in the case, Alme said. The federal government has 30 days to determine whether it will file charges and have the men appear in front of a grand jury, Alme said.
If charged, the Gatewoods could face life in prison.
According to the affidavit filed in conjunction with their arrest, over the two-year period cocaine was shipped to Bozeman in the mail at an amount of "several kilograms or pounds" each week.
Drug runners in the organization also routinely made cash deposits into two or three different bank accounts ranging from $3,500 to $7,500, according to court records.
The cocaine was often mailed inside a can of peanut butter because the smell of the peanut butter masked the smell of drugs from police dogs, according to court records. At other times, the cocaine was delivered inside a DVD player.
During police questioning, Gatewood told investigators the drug packages were mailed to his home and to the home of his girlfriend, according to court records.
Gatewood, a Richmond, Calif., native, was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference wide receiver for the Bobcats football team in 2004 and 2005. Last summer, the NFL's Oakland Raiders signed him as a free agent, but Gatewood didn't make the team.
He graduated from MSU earlier this month with a degree in psychology. He was expecting to try out with Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies this month to explore a professional career. He also had been exploring a career in the Canadian Football League.
The affidavit also said that “DW” sold drugs from several apartments around Bozeman, including one near South 23rd Avenue and West Main Street. “'DW' and his runners had no fear of being arrested or being detected” because they thought the “local police did not know what they were doing.”
“DW” also wanted to eliminate rival cocaine dealers in town, the records stated. At one point, “DW” told one of his runners to “keep his ears open” for other people bringing cocaine into Bozeman because it was his territory.
During conversations with an informant after the murder of suspected cocaine dealer Jason Wright in Bozeman last June, “DW” said there was "a lot of heat going on right now in Bozeman,” the records state.
By TED SULLIVAN, Chronicle Staff Writer
A drug-dealing cartel consisting of former Montana State University athletes who were known as the main suppliers of cocaine in Bozeman was busted this week after the arrest of a former MSU football player and his brother.
Former wide receiver Richard Demond Gatewood, 23, and his brother, Randy Lamar Gatewood, 21, both of Bozeman, appeared in federal court in Missoula Wednesday on two federal complaints alleging they were selling cocaine and conspiring to sell cocaine in Bozeman from June 2005 to May 2007, according to court records.
Both men are being held in Missoula County's jail. Bail has not been set.
According to federal court records, another former MSU football player who goes by the street names of “Demetrius,” “D” or “DW” has been the leader of a drug-dealing gang with at least six drug “runners” in Bozeman for two years.
One of those runners, Rick Gatewood, allegedly used his athletic scholarship money to help bring cocaine to Bozeman from “DW's” supplier in Fairfield, Calif.
The drug-dealing organization is “the main supplier of cocaine to the Bozeman area” and sold cocaine and marijuana to MSU and Bozeman High School students, according to an 18-page affidavit of probable cause filed in U.S. District Court.
The group “was well known by word of mouth among drug buyers in Bozeman that cocaine distributed in Bozeman came from ‘DW's' group and that ‘DW' was ‘running' Bozeman,” according to the affidavit.
The drug-dealing group was also trafficking cocaine in Helena, Missoula, Kalispell and Billings, according to court records.
The FBI, Missouri River Drug Task Force and Gallatin County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation that led to the arrests, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said Thursday. No one from any of those offices involved in the investigation would comment on the Gatewoods' case Thursday.
They also declined to comment on the identity of “DW” or whether he has been arrested or charged with any crimes.
Although the Gatewoods were arrested, they have not been charged in the case, Alme said. The federal government has 30 days to determine whether it will file charges and have the men appear in front of a grand jury, Alme said.
If charged, the Gatewoods could face life in prison.
According to the affidavit filed in conjunction with their arrest, over the two-year period cocaine was shipped to Bozeman in the mail at an amount of "several kilograms or pounds" each week.
Drug runners in the organization also routinely made cash deposits into two or three different bank accounts ranging from $3,500 to $7,500, according to court records.
The cocaine was often mailed inside a can of peanut butter because the smell of the peanut butter masked the smell of drugs from police dogs, according to court records. At other times, the cocaine was delivered inside a DVD player.
During police questioning, Gatewood told investigators the drug packages were mailed to his home and to the home of his girlfriend, according to court records.
Gatewood, a Richmond, Calif., native, was a first-team All-Big Sky Conference wide receiver for the Bobcats football team in 2004 and 2005. Last summer, the NFL's Oakland Raiders signed him as a free agent, but Gatewood didn't make the team.
He graduated from MSU earlier this month with a degree in psychology. He was expecting to try out with Major League Baseball's Philadelphia Phillies this month to explore a professional career. He also had been exploring a career in the Canadian Football League.
The affidavit also said that “DW” sold drugs from several apartments around Bozeman, including one near South 23rd Avenue and West Main Street. “'DW' and his runners had no fear of being arrested or being detected” because they thought the “local police did not know what they were doing.”
“DW” also wanted to eliminate rival cocaine dealers in town, the records stated. At one point, “DW” told one of his runners to “keep his ears open” for other people bringing cocaine into Bozeman because it was his territory.
During conversations with an informant after the murder of suspected cocaine dealer Jason Wright in Bozeman last June, “DW” said there was "a lot of heat going on right now in Bozeman,” the records state.
