Belgrade meth trafficker sentenced to eight years in prison

BILLINGS — A Belgrade man who admitted to supplying methamphetamine to a local dealer was sentenced today to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Buddy Jonathan Shaw, Jr., 49, pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that in May 2020, U.S. Probation officers and agents with the Missouri River Drug Task Force went to Shaw’s residence after receiving complaints that Shaw was distributing meth. After knocking for several minutes, the probation officers breached the door because they had an arrest warrant for Shaw. Shaw told the officers where his meth was hidden, and officers found approximately 230 grams of meth and $1,700. Shaw admitted that he had sold meth for the past year and sold most of it to a local dealer. When Shaw received meth, it was kilograms at a time.

The Bozeman Missouri River Drug Task Force, FBI, Bozeman Police Department, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office, Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Probation Office investigated the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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