Meth trafficking sends Billings man to prison for 10 years

BILLINGS - A Billings man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine in the community after law enforcement found meth and more than $4,000 in his residence was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Loren Dean Raver, 59, pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in February, the Billings Police Department Street Crimes Unit was attempting to locate Raver on an outstanding arrest warrant. Officers were aware that Raver was on state probation and began surveilling his residence. On Feb. 26, a detective made a traffic stop of a vehicle after seeing a woman and Raver leave the residence and drive away in the car. Officers arrested Raver on his outstanding warrant. Officers, along with state probation officers, searched Raver's residence and located a large quantity of meth inside a box of Mountain Dew that was on a coffee table. Officers also found $4,396 in currency, plastic baggies and digital scales. The meth was determined to be approximately 283 grams, which is a little more than a half pound, of pure meth. At the time, Raver was on state probation for several previous felony convictions.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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