Great Falls meth, fentanyl trafficker sentenced to more than 13 years in federal prison

GREAT FALLS - A federal judge today sentenced a Great Falls man to 13 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl pills in the community, U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The defendant, John Meade Ogburn, 45, pleaded guilty in June to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

"Repeat federal felons will be pursued aggressively, especially drug traffickers. After previously serving federal time, Ogburn resumed his criminal lifestyle, trafficked large quantities of fentanyl pills and meth in Montana and has earned a stiffer federal prison sentence. We remain undeterred in holding repeat drug dealers, like Ogburn, accountable," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government alleged in court documents that drug task force officers learned in the fall of 2023 that Ogburn was a source of supply of meth and fentanyl. In November 2023, law enforcement intercepted a package that was found to contain approximately 1,757 fentanyl pills and determined that Ogburn was responsible for arranging the shipment. The investigation led to a traffic stop in early February 2024 of two vehicles, one driven by Ogburn and another driven by his girlfriend, as the vehicles traveled back to Montana from Washington. In a search of the vehicles, law enforcement found approximately two pounds of meth wired under the vehicle driven by Ogburn's girlfriend. Ogburn admitted in a recorded jail call that he was responsible for placing the meth under the vehicle and that his girlfriend did not know it was there. At the time, Ogburn was on supervised release for a previous federal drug offense in which he served more than a decade in prison.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Great Falls Police Department and Montana Highway Patrol 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.

XXX