BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A 29-year-old Florida man has pleaded not guilty to a federal drug charge after authorities say he was travelling with 78 pounds of meth on a Montana highway. Authorities say it was the largest amount of meth ever seized in a traffic stop in the state.
Nicholas James Imhoff was returned to custody after appearing Monday in federal court in Billings. Authorities say he was travelling in a van rented in Las Vegas and the drugs were found under floor storage compartments in garbage bags.
Imhoff told a state trooper that he was headed to North Dakota for work.
The case highlights the continuing challenge law enforcement authorities in many Western states face from what a steady flow of relatively cheap, high-potency methamphetamine brought in by Mexican drug cartels.
The influx of the drug has caused a surge in crime, with robberies, murders and assaults trending up in recent years in parts of the state, according to authorities.
