NOTE: The Wyoming U.S. Attorney’s Office issued a press release on Thursday with additional information about the case. That information is included in the update of this story published on Wednesday.

CASPER, Wyo. — A Casper man and a woman from Greeley, Colorado, were recently sentenced for drug conspiracy crimes, according to U.S. District Court records.

Chief Wyoming U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl handed down sentences to Thelma Faber of Greeley on Monday and Dusty Ronald Harris of Casper in July.

In January, Faber and Harris were each charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and aiding and abetting, as well as conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Harris was 42 and Faber was 44 at the time of their arrests.

The case began last year when the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, while investigating drug trafficking in Fremont County, learned Harris sold controlled substances on or near the Wind River Indian Reservation to enrolled members of the Eastern Shoshone and/or Northern Arapaho tribes, according to a press release from the Wyoming U.S. Attorney’s Office on Thursday.

In November, agents learned that Harris was transporting drugs from Colorado to  Fremont County.

Fremont County Sheriff’s Office deputies stopped a vehicle near Shoshoni driven by Harris with Faber as his passenger.

A search of the vehicle yielded 94 grams of methamphetamine, 34 grams of fentanyl, a scale and other drug paraphernalia. A search of their cellphones yielded texts and social media messages from late October 2023 through early November between Harris, Faber and others regarding the distribution of controlled substances.

On Monday, Skavdahl handed down a four-year, nine-month sentence to Faber. He also ordered her to pay $100 for a special assessment and $500 for community restitution. After her release from custody, Faber will serve four years of supervised probation.

She pleaded guilty on May 9, and the prosecution agreed to dismiss the conspiracy count at the time of her sentencing.

Harris also pleaded guilty on May 9.

Unlike Faber, Skavdahl sentenced Harris to 11 years, 10 months each on both counts, with each sentence to run concurrently, or at the same time.

After his release from custody, Harris will serve four years of supervised release for each count, also to run concurrently. Skavdahl ordered him to pay a $200 special assessment and $500 for community restitution as well.

Both defendants could have faced 20 years for each count and up to a $2 million fine, according to the indictment that was handed up on Jan. 10, 2024.

The crimes were investigated by the FBI, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office.

Wyoming Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy W. Gist prosecuted the case.

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