GREAT FALLS Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on Thursday before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, Victor Aaron King, a 43- year-old resident of Havre, appeared for sentencing. King was sentenced to a prison term of 220 months, with a special assessment of $200 and five years supervised release. King was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and use of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following: Between May of 2005 and September of 2006, King received and sold methamphetamine to individuals and confidential informants located in and around Havre. On Sept. 13, 2006, a confidential informant arranged to purchase one ounce of meth from King in the parking lot of the Northern Montana Hospital in Havre. An agent with the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force (TASTTF) surveilled King’s house that day and saw King drive away in his blue Chevy Suburban. Before King arrived at the hospital, agents conducted a traffic stop and executed a search warrant on his vehicle. The agents recovered one ounce of methamphetamine and the following five firearms from King’s vehicle: a Remington 870 shotgun 12 gauge; a Thompson Center Arms, encore 220 swift rifle with Leupold scope; a Ruger red hawk, 44 mag revolver; a Springfield Armory USA, model XD-40, 40 caliber pistol; and a Glock model 31, 357 Sig. A senior forensic chemist for the Drug Enforcement Administration tested the one ounce substance found in King’s car and concluded it was methamphetamine. On Sept. 13 and 14, 2006, King was questioned by law enforcement officers. King admitted that he was involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the Havre area from the summer of 2005 to Sept. 13, 2006. King also admitted to receiving and distributing methamphetamine to individuals and confidential informants throughout this period of time. King conspired toDistribute at least 17 pounds of methamphetamine between May of 2005 and September of 2006. Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that King will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, King does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna
S. Peckham prosecuted the case for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Tri-Agency Safe Trails Task Force (TASTTF).
