MISSOULA - A Butte man who admitted to distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in the community was sentenced today to six years and five months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Cody Scott Shuler, 29, pleaded guilty in May to distribution of controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned from various sources of Shuler’s drug distribution activities around Butte. In January, law enforcement conducted a controlled buy from Shuler in which he sold meth and 23 counterfeit Oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl. Shuler admitted to law enforcement to making trips to Spokane to purchase drugs. The government also alleged that Shuler threatened others with a pistol and “pistol whipped" an individual.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
