Gary Girard Sheehan, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2023

Great Falls father and son sentenced for meth trafficking, firearms crimes

GARY GIRRARD SHEEHAN, a 68-year-old Great Falls man, has been sentenced to seven years and six months in prison and five years of supervised release for meth trafficking and firearms crimes in Great Falls, Montana. His son, Justin Leonard Sheehan, 44, received an eight-year and 10-month prison sentence along with five years of supervised release. Both men pleaded guilty in November to their crimes.

The Sheehans were accused of distributing meth in the Great Falls community since at least 2016. They would regularly travel to Salt Lake City to pick up large quantities of meth from a supplier for redistribution in Great Falls, according to court records. In November 2018, law enforcement received information that the Sheehans were planning a trip to Salt Lake City to buy meth and officers monitored the trip.

On November 19, 2018, agents stopped Gary Sheehan’s vehicle on Interstate 15 south of Butte. In a search of the vehicle, agents found in the trunk a backpack with two bundles of meth, $9,050 cash, and a loaded .45-caliber handgun. Each bundle had about a pound of meth, which is equivalent to about 3,634 doses. A second backpack found in the backseat of the car contained a loaded .22-caliber handgun and a plastic bag with white residue.

Gary Sheehan was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior felony conviction in Utah. Agents interviewed individuals who acknowledged getting meth from Justin Sheehan and that he typically carried firearms for his protection in the drug trade.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration. This case is part of Project Guardian, a recent initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, and Project Safe Neighborhoods, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 through 2018.

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the sentencing hearing. The Sheehans’ crimes have sent shockwaves through the Great Falls community, highlighting the need for continued efforts to combat meth trafficking and firearms crimes. The case serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of these crimes on families and communities.

The prosecution said that law enforcement received information that the Sheehans had been distributing meth in the Great Falls community since at least 2016. The father and son would routinely travel to Salt Lake City to pick up large quantities of meth from a supplier for redistribution in Great Falls.

In November 2018, law enforcement received information that the Sheehans were planning a trip to Salt Lake City to buy meth and officers monitored the trip. On November 19, 2018, agents stopped Gary Sheehan’s vehicle on Interstate 15 south of Butte. In a search of the vehicle, agents found in the trunk a backpack with two bundles of meth, $9,050 cash, and a loaded .45-caliber handgun. Each bundle had about a pound of meth, which is equivalent to about 3,634 doses.

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