BILLINGS- An Arizona man who brought multiple loads of meth to sell in Billings was sentenced Thursday to nine years in federal prison.
Wilfrido Varelas-Rubio, 24 of Glendale, Ariz., pleaded guilty previously to possession with intent to distribute meth, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. He also received five years supervised release from U.S. District Judge Susan Watters in Billings.
Drug task agents began investigating a meth ring bringing large quantities into Billings in April 2018. Sources identified Varelas-Rubio as the leader, and agents learned he would be in town at a hotel June 15, 2018, according to Alme.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for Varela-Rubio’s room and found 14 ounces of individually wrapped meth, $6,800 in cash, four cell phones and a storage unit code.
Agents seized a Buick Lucerne at a secured parking space belonging to Varela-Rubio at the storage unit. The vehicle contained about 3.5 pounds of meth, concealed in a sophisticated compartment.
The total amount of meth seized was the equivalent of about 15,600 doses.
