MISSOULA - A Butte man who admitted to conspiring with others to traffic pounds of methamphetamine in the community was sentenced today to four years and six months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Charles David Clement, 36, pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned Clement was trafficking drugs with others in Montana. In March 2019, officers searched a package that contained 1,579 grams, or about 3.4 pounds, of meth and was addressed to an individual in Butte. The individual was enlisted to accept the package of meth for Clement. The investigation found numerous text messages, including messages about drug distribution, between Clement and the individual accepting the package. Clement paid for the drugs he received by sending cash payments back to Bakersfield, California, including $12,000 in cash that law enforcement seized.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Butte Silver Bow Law Enforcement, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
