Two Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking More Than Five Pounds of Meth

BUTTE – A federal judge sentenced two defendants on Tuesday for attempting to transport more than five pounds of methamphetamine into Montana.  Ismael Melin, 40, of Long Beach, California was sentenced today to 87 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.  Jose Luis Montano-Espericueta, 38, also of Long Beach, was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison for possession of meth with the intent to distribute.  Upon release from prison, both defendants will be remanded to the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation to Mexico.  Chief U.S. District Court Judge Dana Christensen presided over the proceedings.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker, the government stated that if the case had proceeded to trial, the government would have proven that between September 2013 and February 2015, Melin and Montano-Espericueta possessed, with intent to distribute, 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance.  In January of 2015, agents of the Northwest Drug Task Force set up an ostensible drug deal through use of a Confidential Informant.  During the exchange, which took place on February 6, agents obtained from the defendants a cooler in which was concealed approximately five pounds of methamphetamine.  The defendants were arrested and during subsequent interviews admitted that they had driven from California to Montana for the purpose of transporting and distributing the methamphetamine in Montana.

The defendants had requested sentences significantly below the recommended guideline range.  The United States had argued for sentences within the guideline range based on the extremely large amount of methamphetamine and the profound social and economic toll caused by the drug in Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker prosecuted the cases. The crimes were investigated by the Northwest Drug Task Force. The defendants will have to serve at least 85% of their sentences before being released from federal prison.