Billings meth dealer sentenced to seven years in prison

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

BILLINGS — A Billings man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in the community as part of a group that was supplied by Washington sources was sentenced today to seven years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Robert Allen Clark, 44, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Clark was one of seven defendants involved in a multi-state drug trafficking organization that operated from a residence on Sugar Avenue in Billings. A group from Washington brought pounds of meth into Montana and used these defendants to distribute meth and fentanyl. In 2023, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this organization, and sources reported that Clark sold multi-ounce quantities to other dealers. Law enforcement seized methamphetamine sold by Clark. The government also identified Clark as a mid-level dealer who received meth from a co-defendant and then distributed to lower-level dealers. Clark has been selling meth for nearly 20 years, has three prior drug convictions dating to 2005, and was on parole for assault on a peace officer.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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