Red Lodge Man Gets Nearly 19 Years For Meth Trafficking, Illegal Gun Possession

A Red Lodge man is headed to federal prison after admitting he ran methamphetamine from the West Coast into Montana and kept a handgun despite a felony record that barred him from owning one.

Chad Allen Bachmann, 46, was sentenced to 18 years and eight months in prison on the drug charge, plus five years of supervised release. He received a separate 15-year sentence and three years of supervised release for the firearm charge. The sentences will run at the same time. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer handed down the sentence. Bachmann pleaded guilty in January.

Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced the sentencing.

Storage Unit Search Turned Up Drugs, Cash, and a Gun

Investigators with the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force began looking into Bachmann in early spring 2025 after receiving a tip that he might be moving meth. Agents watched him for some time before securing a warrant for a storage unit linked to Bachmann. When they searched it on May 29, 2025, they found Bachmann there himself.

He told agents afterward that he had been running large quantities of meth into Montana from Washington, Oregon, and California, making repeated trips to buy from two suppliers he knew only by the names "Tony" and "Tiger."

Inside the storage unit, agents recovered 14 pounds of meth, $10,520 in cash, a ledger tracking drug sales, and other paraphernalia. A search of Bachmann's truck turned up a .45 caliber pistol. Because of a prior felony conviction, Bachmann was barred from having a firearm.

Traffic Stop West Of Missoula Led To A Second Seizure

By June 2025, investigators learned Bachmann was still selling and was preparing to leave Montana to restock his supply. Task force members obtained another warrant and tracked his truck as it traveled to Spokane, Washington, and back across the state line.

Montana Highway Patrol stopped Bachmann west of Missoula. That search turned up another 6 pounds of meth.

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Case Was Built By Federal Task Force

The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case, and the U.S. Attorney's Office handled the prosecution.