Washington Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking
A Washington man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine after law enforcement seized 11 pounds of the drug from him in a traffic stop in Glendive was sentenced last week to 11 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Charles Antonio Gray, 47, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
The government alleged in court documents that on June 16, 2021, a Montana Highway Patrol trooper conducted a traffic stop in Glendive of a vehicle in which Gray was a passenger, along with two other occupants. Gray was traveling from California to North Dakota. A search of the vehicle led the trooper finding a leather bag that contained five vacuum sealed packages in the trunk. Gray claimed ownership of the bag. The meth seized weighed approximately 11.4 pounds, which is the equivalent of 41,313 doses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Montana Highway Patrol, conducted the investigation.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, 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.
