BILLINGS — A former Montana House majority leader has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for his central role in a multi-state methamphetamine trafficking ring.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters sentenced 57-year-old Michael Lange on Thursday during a court hearing in Billings.
Prosecutors say he arranged for deliveries of at least 20 and possibly up to 50 pounds (9 and possibly up to 23 kilograms) of the drug from California for sale in Montana and Wyoming.
He pleaded guilty to in September to drug conspiracy and distribution charges.
Lange was the Republican majority leader during the 2007 Legislature.
Co-defendant Jose Soltero received a 12-year prison sentence from Watters on Wednesday.
Soltero admitted to involvement in the ring but claimed it was done under duress after he and his family were threatened with violence.