Charles Joshua Petty, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2023

A Butte man, Charles Joshua Petty, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking ring in Montana.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Petty, 31, pleaded guilty on March 15 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

The investigation determined that Petty and others would wire money back to California and to Sinaloa, Mexico, to pay for the meth. The government further alleged that investigators learned from cooperators that Petty received approximately 10 pounds of meth in January 2019. Ten pounds of meth is the equivalent of approximately 36,240 doses.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided over the sentencing hearing. Petty was also ordered to forfeit $8,500 seized in the case.

A co-defendant, Shawn Miller, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the Butte Police Department.

Charles Joshua Petty, the defendant in this case, is a Butte, Montana resident who was charged with possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. 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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/butte-meth-trafficker-sentenced-10-years-prison