Wyoming Meth Kingpin Wade Schear Gets 25 Years

CHEYENNE, WY – Wade Schear, 42, of Gillette, Wyoming, will spend the next quarter-century behind bars after being sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Court Judge Kelly H. Rankin delivered the sentence on July 17, 2025, in Cheyenne, following a conviction secured by federal prosecutors.

Schear was found guilty on April 30 after a three-day jury trial laid bare his operation. The case originated with the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Central Enforcement Team, who began investigating a significant flow of methamphetamine into Natrona County. Schear quickly surfaced as a prime suspect in the large-scale drug distribution network.

The bust itself went down on June 22, 2024, when Platte County Sheriff’s Deputies pulled over Schear’s vehicle near Chugwater. A K9 unit flagged the presence of narcotics, prompting a search. Inside Schear’s backpack, deputies discovered approximately 871 grams of methamphetamine, neatly packaged in two large plastic bags. That’s nearly a kilo of pure poison hitting the streets of Wyoming.

Evidence presented at trial painted a clear picture of Schear’s routine: regular trips from Wyoming to Colorado, where he’d stock up on massive quantities of methamphetamine, and then haul it back to Wyoming for distribution. This wasn’t a first offense. Court records reveal Schear had previously been convicted on two separate occasions for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine – a clear pattern of disregard for the law and a blatant pursuit of profit at the expense of the community.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mackenzie R. Morrison and Eric Heimann successfully prosecuted the case, securing the lengthy sentence. The Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Central Enforcement Team and the Platte County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation, working tirelessly to dismantle Schear’s operation and bring him to justice. The case is listed as Case No. 24-CR-00136.

Following his 25-year prison term, Schear will be subject to five years of supervised release. While this sentence removes a significant player from Wyoming’s drug trade, authorities acknowledge the fight against methamphetamine trafficking is far from over. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this and other federal cases as they unfold.