POCATELLO, ID – A Fort Hall man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott.

Walker Dean Cates, 39, received an 84-month prison sentence following his guilty plea in February 2025. Court records show Cates sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to an individual on three occasions at his Fort Hall residence. Transactions included 3.58 grams of methamphetamine on April 11, 2024; 10.92 grams of fentanyl on July 22, 2024; and 505.7 grams of fentanyl on August 21, 2024, the last two of which involved co-defendant Mariah Dawn Russell.

When officers arrived to arrest Cates on October 9, 2024, he fled at a high rate of speed in a vehicle, leading law enforcement on a chase through Fort Hall that ended with a crash in a rural area. He was later apprehended.

In total, Cates was held accountable for distributing 516.62 grams of fentanyl and 3.58 grams of methamphetamine. He will also serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.

Russell, who pleaded guilty on December 16, 2024, is scheduled for sentencing on July 17, 2025.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service, Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Hall Police Department, and the BADGES Task Force, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, Pocatello Police Department, Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, Idaho State Police, and Chubbuck Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Zoie Laggis.

This case was part of the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) SAUSA program, launched in 2016 to prosecute violent and drug-related offenses in federal court. Since its inception, the program has resulted in the indictment of approximately 200 defendants, with 175 charged with drug trafficking offenses. Sentences issued under the program average more than six years in federal prison.