Man pleads not guilty to drug charges

A Columbia Falls man facing between five and 40 years in prison was arraigned in federal court Thursday in Missoula.

Joshua Lewis, 35, pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Along with prison time, Lewis faces up to a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release.

The investigation that led to the charges was a cooperative effort between the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, the Kalispell Police Department, the Whitefish Police Department, the Columbia Falls Police Department, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Montana Probation and Parole, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration.