GREAT FALLS, MONTANA — A East Helena man who admitted trafficking methamphetamine was sentenced today to 76 months in prison and five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said.
Casey Robin Kazimi, 27, pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, 2020 to possession with intent to distribute meth.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
The prosecution said in court document that on Sept. 3, 2019, Kazimi possessed three firearms and 17.25 grams of meth in East Helena.
The Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office deputies contacted Kazimi during the end of a call of a person going through vehicles. Other civilians pointed Kazimi out to the deputies. Kazimi lied to the deputies, fled on foot, and threw a handgun behind a tree at Radley Elementary School before he was apprehended. At the time, Kazimi was on state supervision. During a probation search of his car, officers found two additional firearms and methamphetamine. They also found small plastic bags for repackaging and distribution of the methamphetamine and a digital scale. A Drug Enforcement Administration lab determined the meth was 98 percent pure.
The case was investigated by the Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Department of Corrections’ Probation and Parole and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Guardian, the U.S. Department of Justice’s recent initiative to reduce gun violence and enforce federal firearms laws, and Project Safe Neighborhoods, the USDOJ’s initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 48% from 2013 through 2019. Through these initiatives, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.