Billings man sentenced to eight years in prison in heroin, meth conspiracy

BILLINGS—Billings resident Clayton James Edwards, who admitted making multiple drug runs to Salt Lake City to get heroin and methamphetamine for redistribution back in Billings, was sentenced on March 21 to eight years in prison and five years of supervised release, said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

Edwards, 35, pleaded guilty on Oct. 9 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.  

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

Prosecution evidence showed that during a six-month period, from January to June 2017, Edwards and another person made trips to Salt Lake City about every five days to get heroin and meth from multiple suppliers. Edwards told investigators that he would use and sell the heroin. The prosecution said Edwards was being held accountable for a conservative estimate of 24 ounces of heroin, which is the equivalent of about 6,800 doses, and eight pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of about 28,992 doses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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