BILLINGS — A Wyoming man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine after a traffic stop in Carbon County, Montana, was sentenced today to seven years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Victor Elvin Lopez, 63, of Powell, Wyoming, pleaded guilty on April 8 to possession with intent to distribute meth as charged in a superseding information.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that Lopez was a habitual meth dealer who was involved in selling the drug in Montana and Wyoming. On Jan. 12, 2019, a Carbon County sheriff’s deputy stopped Lopez for speeding and drunken driving on U.S. Highway 310. Law enforcement saw a large wad of cash on his front passenger seat and was aware that Lopez was suspected of trafficking drugs in Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. A search warrant was served on the vehicle and officers located about 2.8 ounces of meth in a safe in the trunk. A little more than six months earlier, on June 9, 2018 in Powell, Wyoming, law enforcement found 294 grams of pure meth, or about 10.3 ounces, during a stop of Lopez.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan T. Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Powell (Wyoming) Police Department and Carbon County, Montana, Sheriff’s Office.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, 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.
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