James Norbury faces up to 20 years, $8M fine for distributing and conspiracy to distribute drug

A Butte man, believed to be involved in a major methamphetamine pipeline that reached from Mexico to Montana, was found guilty after a two-day trial in federal court in Helena of distributing the dangerous drug.

James Norbury faces up to 20 years and an $8 million fine for distributing and conspiracy to distribute meth. He is in custody, and sentencing is set for May 12.

According to information from the office of Bill Mercer, United States Attorney, Norbury came to the attention of law enforcement officials after a woman in Helena was arrested in April 2004 for selling methamphetamine.

She agreed to cooperate with investigators and told them her source for methamphetamine was a man from Spokane and identified her main customers in Montana.

The unidentified woman told federal agents that she was trying to make arrangements to meet Norbury because she heard he could deal large quantities of meth.

On April 19, 2004, the woman spoke on the telephone with an individual, discussing the price per pound for meth. The woman said she arranged to go to Butte the following day, where she met with the individual and Norbury, who gave the woman more than $19,000 to buy meth.

She provided a bag of fake methamphetamine and left the room. A few moments later, law enforcement entered the motel room and arrested Norbury and the individual. The transaction was recorded on videotape.

Norbury also worked with others to sell meth, then pool the money and give it to a drug trafficking organization.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Missouri River Drug Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Norbury was prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Josh Van Wetterling.

His arrest was part of a larger case that ended with the arrest of eight people, including five Butte residents, accused of crimes ranging from possession with the intent to distribute, money laundering and making bulk transfer of cash across the border between Mexico and the United States.

The case involved about 65 pounds of methamphetamine and nearly $750,000 in cash from the sale of the drugs.

The drugs allegedly were shipped from Mexico into Southern California, then to Montana for local dealers to distribute.