A Butte man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in the Butte area, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson.
Travis Bridger Soderberg, 47, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth. He is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release.
Court documents allege from October 2019 until about November 2020 in Butte and elsewhere in Montana, Soderberg distributed meth he received in the mail from a source in California.
Soderberg reportedly admitted in an interview with law enforcement that he received shipments of up to 20 pounds of meth from his California source, which is the equivalent of approximately 72,480 doses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Postal Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for Dec. 21 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Soderberg was detained pending further proceedings.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
