Montana meth trafficker gets 11-year prison sentence

A Kalispell man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced last week to 11 years and three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Andrew Joseph Shields, 40, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that in June 2022 in Lake County, Montana Highway Patrol troopers made a traffic stop of a vehicle Shields was driving. During the stop, the trooper saw a firearm in the vehicle.

In a later search of the vehicle, law enforcement found 478 grams, or a little more than one pound, of meth, fentanyl, additional firearms and more than $8,000 in cash.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. The Northwest Drug Task Force and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.