Billings drug dealer sentenced for meth, cocaine and firearms

BILLINGS—Billings resident Alexander Greybull, who admitted drug trafficking and firearms crimes, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and five years of supervised release after law enforcement found methamphetamine, cocaine and a gun in a 2017 traffic stop of a vehicle Greybull was driving, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Greybull, 31, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30 to five felonies, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute meth, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. There was no plea agreement.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. Judge Watters also ordered the forfeiture of $1,240 cash and a 9 mm handgun.

Prosecution evidence showed that Billings Police officers arrested Greybull after a traffic stop on May 21, 2017. Greybull, the driver, said he didn’t have his driver’s license on him and refused to give the officer his name or birth date. The officer asked Greybull to get out of the car. During a pat down, the officer felt a bag, which contained meth, in Greybull’s pocket.

Greybull still refused to provide his name was arrested for obstruction. The officer also found about $2,000 on Greybull and several “burner” phones near the front driver’s seat. Another officer spoke with a passenger and saw Greybull’s identification on the front seat in plain view. Officers called in a K-9 officer and the dog alerted on the vehicle. After getting a warrant to search the car, officer found several containers of meth, including in a small safe that was in the trunk, cocaine, a 9mm handgun with six ammunition cartridges and a 9mm hollow point cartridge. Drugs seized totaled about 673 grams of meth, which is nearly 1.5 pounds and the equivalent of about 5,600 doses, and 26 grams of cocaine, which is about 208 doses.

A search of the phones found in the vehicle indicated Greybull’s involvement in selling illegal drugs.

Greybull, who has two prior state felony convictions--for possession of dangerous drugs and for aggravated assault--was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  

Greybull also has three pending felony charges in state District Court in Yellowstone County, where he is charged with assault with a weapon, aggravating kidnapping and aggravated assault in the alleged beating of a woman and kidnapping of her and her children.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

XXX