Butte meth trafficker sentenced to 10 years in prison

MISSOULA – A Butte man who admitted trafficking drugs, including methamphetamine, in Montana and to receiving meth through the mail in Butte, was sentenced today to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Charles Joshua Petty, 31, pleaded guilty on March 15 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Petty also was ordered to forfeit $8,500 seized in the case.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Petty received meth from individuals in California and elsewhere, including through the mail in Butte, for distribution. The investigation determined that Petty and others would wire money back to California and to Sinaloa, Mexico, to pay for the meth. The government further alleged that investigators learned from cooperators that Petty received approximately 10 pounds of meth in January 2019. Ten pounds of meth is the equivalent of approximately 36,240 doses. A co-defendant, Shawn Miller, was sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the Butte Police Department.

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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