An Ashland man, Joe Vega, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison and an additional four years of supervised release for methamphetamine trafficking on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, as announced by U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Vega, aged 49, had entered a guilty plea to the charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in July 2024. The sentence was issued by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters.
Court documents and allegations reveal that the investigation into Vega's activities began in December 2023, courtesy of the FBI. An informant disclosed that they had purchased methamphetamine from Vega on approximately twelve occasions.
In April 2024, a turning point in the investigation occurred when the FBI intercepted a package from Arizona directed to Vega’s address in Billings. A search warrant revealed that the package contained 1331.5 grams of methamphetamine, which was verified to be 100% pure.
Further developments unfolded as Vega was reportedly traveling to Arizona, possibly to acquire methamphetamine. On April 22, 2024, a vehicle stop by a Montana Highway Patrol trooper, where Vega was a passenger, led to the discovery of two pounds of methamphetamine in a bag owned by him. This batch was also confirmed to be 100% pure.
The prosecution in this case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Patten. Collaborating on the investigation were the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Montana Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI), and the Montana Highway Patrol.
The case forms a part of the initiatives under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF operates with the intention of identifying, disrupting, and dismantling major criminal organizations. They employ a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For additional information on the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, the public can visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
