BILLINGS - A California man who admitted being part of an organization that brought multi-pound quantities of methamphetamine to the Billings area and Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced on Thursday to eight years in prison and five years supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme said.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided at the sentencing of Miguel Morales, 27, of San Jose, who pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute meth.
In the summer of 2015, law enforcement officers began investigating a drug trafficking organization in which men from San Jose, Calif., were bringing multi-pound quantities of meth Montana for distribution. The investigation found that Morales worked with the organization and in 2016 was in Billings and Crow Agency to distribute meth to others and to collect money.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI task force and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
