Steven Douglas Shipe, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2023

MISSOULA, MONTANA – In a major blow to the state’s methamphetamine trade, a Butte man has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the lucrative business.

Steven Douglas Shipe, 52, pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a crime that has ravaged communities across Montana. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen handed down the sentence, which will be followed by five years of supervised release.

The case against Shipe began in June 2019 when law enforcement discovered that he was involved in methamphetamine trafficking. An undercover operation revealed that Shipe was purchasing and redistributing the deadly drug, using local co-conspirators to facilitate transactions. The full extent of the operation was laid bare when investigators intercepted a 10-pound shipment of methamphetamine destined for Shipe’s residence in Butte.

The massive shipment, equivalent to 36,240 doses, was seized in Bakersfield, California, and was found to have been sent by another individual in that city. The interception was a major victory for law enforcement, who have been working tirelessly to disrupt the flow of methamphetamine into Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Service. The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. initiative to reduce violent crime.

Shipe will be allowed to self-surrender, a rare privilege for a defendant in a federal case. The sentence is a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement to combat the methamphetamine epidemic that has ravaged Montana.

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