Billings man sentenced for drug trafficking, firearms

BILLINGS—Billings resident Kevin James Maslen, who admitted trafficking methamphetamine and pain pills along with having firearms, was sentenced today to seven years in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Maslen, 56, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.

Evidence in the case showed that in June 2017, an undercover agent bought meth, morphine and oxycodone from Maslen on several occasions, the prosecution said in court records. In one of the deals, the agent bought morphine and two firearms from Maslen. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Maslen’s residence in May 2018 and found meth, 83 oxycodone tablets and firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Godfrey 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.

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