Montana Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Helping Transport Meth: Several Pounds of Meth and Two Handguns Found in Car
Carter Wade Badding, 37, of Lolo, in Missoula County, Montana, was sentenced on November 13 to eight years in federal prison for helping transport methamphetamine into Montana. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana said U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer imposed the sentence, followed by three years of supervised release, in an announcement by U.S. Attorney Scott Twito.
Badding pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
According to court documents, in February 2026 Badding traveled to Washington to help Jennifer Lynn Stephens, 45, pick up a load of methamphetamine and return it to Montana. Stephens told investigators she had asked Badding to join her on the trip because her supplier scared her. Upon their return, law enforcement pulled the two over near Arlee and searched their vehicle, finding several pounds of methamphetamine and a pair of handguns, both of which Badding said were his. Stephens was sentenced in October 2026 to 10 years in prison on drug trafficking and weapons charges.
The case was investigated by the FBI's Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. The Justice Department said the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods. (Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana)
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Missoula 的 Russell Smith 联邦法院大楼，本案由联邦地区法官 William W. Mercer 在此宣判。Montanabw 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本图已裁为 16:9。 / Photo: The Russell Smith Federal Courthouse in Missoula, where U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer imposed the sentence in this case. Photo by Montanabw, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped to 16:9.
