Keeping Billings Safer: Local Dealer Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison

A Billings man, 37-year-old Jessie Craig Iverson, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. The case was handled by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters, with U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announcing the sentence. Iverson pleaded guilty earlier this year to possessing meth with the intent to sell it and carrying a firearm to back up those drug deals.

Investigators Track Iverson’s Drug Operations Across State Lines

Law enforcement first got word in late 2023 that Iverson was moving large amounts of meth around Billings. Investigators said he often sold several ounces at a time and carried a gun during his sales to protect himself. By December, agents tracked him leaving Montana to pick up more drugs. His trip took him through Thompson Falls, Spokane, and Vancouver, Washington, before he returned home.

Traffic Stop Near Butte Reveals Drugs and Loaded Gun

On December 12, 2023, just outside Butte, officers pulled Iverson over. What they found was telling. In his sweatshirt pocket was a loaded .22 caliber revolver, and in the truck were 91 grams of meth, fentanyl pills hidden in a Hot Tamales candy container, and other bags with meth residue. The bust made it clear he wasn’t just using, he was trafficking.

READ MORE: Billings Man Sentenced After Decades of Sexual Abuse

Law Enforcement Agencies Team Up for Major Bust

This wasn’t the work of one agency. The investigation pulled in the DEA, Eastern Montana HIDTA, Montana Highway Patrol, and Billings Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. It was very much a team effort to get one more armed drug dealer off the streets.

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Keeping Billings Neighborhoods Safer by Reducing Drug and Gun Crime

Cases like this hit close to home because they aren’t happening in some far off city, they’re right here in Billings. Drugs and guns create a dangerous mix for everyone in the community, and taking someone like Iverson out of that cycle helps make our neighborhoods safer.