BILLINGS-Nathan Thomas Trujillo, a Denver resident who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in the Billings community, was sentenced on June 27 to 20 years and eight months in prison and five years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Trujillo pleaded guilty in December to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute meth and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In August 2018, drug task force agents began investigating a Billings area dealer, later identified as Trujillo, but who was living under a stolen identity to avoid arrest on an outstanding warrant. Agents made multiple buys from a co-conspirator and learned that Trujillo traveled to Denver to obtain pound quantities for re-distribution in the Billings area.
Agents executed search warrants on Trujillo’s vehicle and apartment. From the vehicle, agents seized about 429 grams, for about 15 ounces, of meth from his vehicle, a 9mm pistol, a digital scale and plastic baggies. The 429 grams of meth is the equivalent of about 3,432 individual doses. Agents also found additional firearms, illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia. From Trujillo’s apartment, agents seized another firearm and more drug paraphernalia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the FBI task force.
The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
