Judge sentences Billings woman to four years in meth case

BILLINGS—A Billings woman who admitted possessing meth for distribution was sentenced on April 4 to four years in prison and four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Leah Summer Garcia, 41, pleaded guilty earlier to possession with intent to distribute meth.

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

On April 19, 2018, Garcia, who was on state probation, was arrested on two outstanding warrants while she was at the jail visiting an inmate, prosecutors said in court records. In a search of the vehicle Garcia drove to the jail, law enforcement found an ounce of meth, which is the equivalent of about 224 doses. Garcia had been linked through drug-related text messages to others in an ongoing drug investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI task force.

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.