Two Libby men face charges for flying drugs into the area

Hugh Shawgo and Michael Norton of Libby face federal drug charges after authorities on Sept. 13 caught them flying Spokane-sourced drugs into Lincoln County Airport.

The two men were both charged in U.S. District Court in Missoula with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and forfeiture. Shawgo pleaded not guilty to the charges Oct. 12, while Norton’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Shawgo and Norton also face additional charges — the former man for firearms possession, to which he pleaded not guilty, and the latter for flying without a certificate.

According to a criminal complaint prepared by Troy Casper, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security, the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office in August began investigating Shawgo for distributing methamphetamine in Western Montana. Shawgo at the time was under probation and parole supervision for a September 2015 felony conviction of operating an unlawful clandestine lab, and has at least three prior felony convictions for drug possession in Washington and Idaho.

About 4 p.m. on Sept. 13, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Detectives Nate Scofield and Brad Dodson saw Shawgo driving toward the Lincoln County Airport to, they believed from prior knowledge, fly to the Spokane area to pick up drugs and bring them back to Libby.

At about 4:45 p.m. and 7 p.m., Dodson listened to two recorded phone calls between Shawgo and a woman in Lincoln County Jail. In the first call Shawgo said they had landed in the Spokane area and were driving to the area of Airway Heights; in the second call Shawgo said he was driving “with a big ball of brown (heroin) in his hand” and that they needed “to fly out soon to get back before dark.”

At 8:15 p.m., the detectives and other agents watched a plane registered to Norton land at Lincoln County Airport. They arrested the plane’s occupants, Shawgo and Norton, without incident. After obtaining a search warrant authorities found on the plane heroin, methamphetamine, assorted prescription medication, a pistol and $906 in cash.

Investigators looking into Norton’s background found that he twice had been arrested and once was convicted for felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs.

Shawgo remains in custody, while Norton was released soon after his arrest.