Canadian sentenced for smuggling marijuana

The Daily Inter Lake

A Canadian man was sentenced Thursday for smuggling marijuana into the United States through Lincoln County.

Logan H. Blackmore, 24, of Vernon, British Columbia, will serve a year and a day in prison. He was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy in Missoula.

He earlier pleaded guilty to smuggling.

On the night of May 17 on Lincoln County's Lick Mountain Road, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents observed a light coming toward them, and soon saw that it was a rider on a bicycle.

They ordered the cyclist to stop, but he barreled through them and then lost control of his bike and crashed. He leaped up and ran into the woods, leaving a large backpack behind.

Then, another cyclist - Blackmore - came down the road. The agents ordered him to stop and he did. He, too, had a large pack.

Both packs were filled with marijuana.

The total weight of the marijuana in the two packs was approximately 109 pounds.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Van de Wetering prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Immigration and Border Enforcement.