Michigan man sentenced to 10 years prison for trafficking meth

BILLINGS – A Michigan man who was trafficking methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jemichael Leon McCoy, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that McCoy was found hiding baggies of meth in the bathroom of a Billings man on state probation. Montana Probation and Parole had arrived at the house on May 19, 2026, after learning that the probationer there may have been interacting with a woman from whom he was barred contact. 

Upon entering the home, officers found the probationer; the woman was hiding in the basement. Officers noticed drug paraphernalia scattered about and heard noises from the bathroom. Inside they found McCoy with a black backpack and a black plastic shopping bag. Officers contacted the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and sought a warrant to search the entire house. 

With the warrant, they found 25 clear plastic baggies with a pound and a half of suspected meth hidden inside the toilet tank. They found a Ruger handgun, a small digital scale, a clear plastic baggy with suspected meth, and $700 cash in McCoy’s backpack.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.