Don Fred Baldwin, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2019

Meth Trafficking Lands California Man in Hot Water

A California man is facing life in prison after admitting to mailing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana.

Don Fred Baldwin, 47, of Merced, California, pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine in U.S. District Court in Great Falls. According to prosecutors, Baldwin mailed a package containing the illegal substance on November 7, 2019, from California to Brockton, located on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the package and obtained a search warrant, uncovering the methamphetamine hidden inside a jar of peanut butter and a piñata. The total amount of methamphetamine totaled approximately 776 grams, or about 1.7 pounds, and the equivalent of around 6,208 doses.

When questioned by law enforcement, Baldwin initially claimed responsibility for mailing the package but later clarified that he had provided the methamphetamine to another person who sent it to Montana.

The case is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which focuses on reducing violent crime in Montana driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robberies, firearms offenses, and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassady Adams is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Fort Peck Tribal Criminal Investigators, and the Merced, California, Police Department.

Baldwin is currently being held in custody and faces a minimum mandatory 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release. His sentencing is set for September 17, 2023.

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