Missoula meth distributor sentenced to prison

MISSOULA—A Missoula woman who admitted to distributing meth on behalf of another person was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Aurora Elizabeth Quinn, 37, pleaded guilty in December to distribution of meth.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that Quinn, acting on behalf of another person, referred to as John Doe, distributed about 12 grams of meth to a confidential source in May 2019. Before the deal, the confidential source had talked to John Doe, who indicated that Quinn would have the drugs. The source called Quinn, the two arranged to meet and the source paid Quinn $500 for a package of meth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Elliott prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and the Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime in Montana increased by 36% from 2013 to 2018. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.