Great Falls meth trafficker sentenced to 14 years in prison

GREAT FALLS  — A Great Falls man who admitted conspiring to bring large quantities of methamphetamine from California to Montana for distribution was sentenced today to 14 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Joshua Daniel Wilson, 48, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in May 2021, Wilson was to have a received a shipment of meth through UPS for redistribution in Great Falls. However, the package was damaged in transit, and UPS employees in Billings discovered meth. Billings Police officers seized the package and found it contained approximately two pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of about 7,248 doses. Drug task force officers in Great Falls took possession of the package and made a controlled delivery. Wilson later admitted that he was obtaining packages of meth in the mail from California for resale and used the address of another person for the shipments.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Russell Country Drug Task Force and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results

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