BILLINGS – A Musselshell County man who trafficked significant amounts of meth into Montana was sentenced today to nine years in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Scott Twito said.
Jeffrey Frederic Nelson, 57, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Nelson and a partner, William Thomas Duncan, regularly traveled to Washington to pick up methamphetamine, bringing it back to Montana to sell.
Duncan was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison in July 2026 on trafficking charges.
Law enforcement first learned of the trafficking activity in October 2025 while investigating Nelson. An undercover agent, using phone numbers associated with Nelson and Duncan, bought multiple pounds of methamphetamine from Nelson in January 2026.
Agents surveilled the two phone numbers and discovered the pair making regular trips to Washington to resupply their stash of methamphetamine. The undercover agent again arranged to buy methamphetamine from the two men. On Jan. 22, 2026, law enforcement served a search warrant on Duncan’s residence in Roundup, where they discovered two pounds of methamphetamine, several phones, and over 30 guns. In an interview with law enforcement, Duncan admitted to trafficking the methamphetamine with Nelson.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Montana Division of Criminal Investigation and the ATF 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.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Montana — U.S. Department of Justice press release.