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Press Release

Laurel meth dealer sentenced to three years in prison

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana

BILLINGS  — A Laurel woman who admitted to methamphetamine trafficking after investigators seized plastic candles containing the drug was sentenced today to three years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Nicole Jo Brent, 45, pleaded guilty in August 2022 to possession with intent to distribute meth.

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

The government alleged in court documents that in October 2021, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service located a suspicious package for an address in Laurel from an address in Turlock, California. A search warrant was obtained for the package and law enforcement found four plastic candles, with each containing about a half pound of meth. Task force agents made a controlled delivery of the package, and Brent took control of it. In a search of the residence, agents located the delivered package and seized additional grams of meth from Brent’s purse, safe and dresser. The investigation determined that Brent received 11 packages from Turlock, California, and that communications on her phone indicated she was selling meth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

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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Contact

Clair Johnson Howard

Public Affairs Officer

406-247-4623

Updated February 15, 2023

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Press Release Number: 23-57