A Great Falls man admitted in federal court on June 20 to trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl after an investigation determined he was dealing large quantities of drugs and found two pounds of meth wired under his truck, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.

John Mead Ogburn, 45, pleaded guilty to charges conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute meth and fentanyl, according to the the U.S. Attorney’s office.

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Ogburn faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

Under the terms of a plea agreement, the parties agreed that a prison sentence in the range of 12 years and seven months to 15 years and eight months is an appropriate sentence to resolve the case, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

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The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

Sentencing is set for Oct. 24 and Ogburn was detained pending further proceedings.

According to court documents, in September and October 2023, drug task officers in Great Falls learned that Ogburn was a source of supply for meth and fentanyl.

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In November 2023, law enforcement officers intercepted a UPS package that contained 1,757 fentanyl pills that was addressed to a Great Falls individual who admitted knowing the package contained fentanyl and identified Ogburn as the shipper, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.

In December, law enforcement officers received information that individual possessed a large quantity of fentanyl powder. Officers executed a search warrant on the person’s home and found about a pound of meth and 55 grams of fentanyl powder, according to court documents.

Officers saw Ogburn at that home before and after the search and the individual later told officers that the drugs were intended for Ogburn.

On Feb. 9, officers conducted an interdiction stop on Interstate 90 of two vehicles associated with Ogburn and found about two pounds of meth wired under one of them. In a recorded jail call, Ogburn admitted to placing the meth under the truck, according to court documents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case.

The FBI; Russell Country Drug Task Force; Montana Division of Criminal Investigation; U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Great Falls Police Department; Cascade County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. In 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these  principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in 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.