Poplar man sentenced for meth trafficking, firearms possession

GREAT FALLS—Poplar resident Richard Allen Granbois, who admitted to possessing methamphetamine for distribution and possessing a firearms in connection with drug trafficking,  was sentenced today to six years in prison and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Granbois, 36, pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.

The prosecution said in court records that multiple persons confirmed to law enforcement they had bought meth from Granbois during the summer of 2017 on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Persons also confirmed that Granbois regularly had firearms while dealing drugs.

A Montana Highway Patrol trooper made a traffic stop of Granbois’ vehicle in June 2017 and ticketed him for driving while under the influence of drugs. Early in the stop, the trooper noticed Granbois to be nervous and physically shaking. He also noticed between the driver’s seat and center console a handgun that Granbois was trying to hide with his body and a backpack. The trooper drew his own service weapon and ordered Granbois out of the vehicle. The handgun between the seat and console was a .40-caliber handgun loaded with eight live rounds. After getting a tribal search warrant for the vehicle, the trooper found a 9mm handgun, a .22/410 gauge rifle, ammunition, meth and marijuana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Cobell prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fort Peck Tribes and Montana Highway Patrol.

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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