Pedro Carrasco Jr., a 35-year-old Billings man with a decade-deep criminal history, is headed to federal prison for 168 months after being sentenced on federal charges tied to a major methamphetamine distribution ring. The sentence, handed down in federal court, includes five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. Carrasco was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 1956(h).
The case exploded in February 2016 when a Montana State Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a vehicle on I-90 near Missoula for a routine traffic violation. A consent search revealed 1,056.3 grams of pure methamphetamine hidden inside a speaker box in the trunk. DEA agents quickly traced the drugs to Carrasco, identifying him as the intended recipient in Billings. The bust exposed a well-organized trafficking pipeline stretching across state lines.
Armed with that lead, federal agents executed a search warrant at Carrasco’s Billings residence. What they found confirmed he was operating as a high-level dealer: additional methamphetamine, two loaded firearms — a Glock Model 23 .40 caliber and a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 caliber — along with 80 rounds of .40 caliber ammo, 11 rounds of .380 ACP ammo, digital scales, drug paraphernalia, body armor, and $4,655 in cash. Surveillance cameras ringed the property, suggesting operational awareness and a deliberate effort to avoid detection.
After being confronted with the evidence, Carrasco admitted to distributing methamphetamine in Billings from 2011 through February 2016. His confession laid bare a five-year run of trafficking that fed addiction and fueled violence across the city. The seized firearms and body armor point to an environment where armed conflict was not just possible — it was expected.
This isn’t Carrasco’s first fall from grace. In 2003, he was already convicted in U.S. District Court, District of Montana, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine — the same crime he’s now back behind bars for. His return to the same criminal enterprise after more than a decade marks him as a repeat offender with no regard for the law or community safety.
The investigation was a multi-agency blitz involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Montana Highway Patrol, and other federal, state, and local agencies. The sentencing is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a DOJ initiative targeting violent crime hotspots. For Carrasco, the message is locked in: repeat traffickers will face hard time.
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Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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