Man gets 14 years for having meth

A Spokane man caught last year with 166 grams of pure methamphetamine will spend the next 14 years in federal prison.

Troy Edward Klein, 36, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge Robert Whaley.

Klein pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. After his release from prison in approximately 2020, Klein will be on five years of court supervision.

He was arrested on June 8, 2006, when a Washington State Patrol auto theft team served a search warrant at 4911 N. Florida, looking for stolen motorcycles and altered vehicle ID numbers.

When WSP troopers and Drug Enforcement Administration agents entered the home, they immediately saw “quantities of what appeared to be methamphetamine sitting out in the open,” court records say. Officers also saw digital scales and plastic baggies in the kitchen area of the home.

After being read his constitutional rights, Klein told agents he recently had purchased the meth for $12,500 and was in the process of cutting it for sales in smaller amounts in the Spokane area.

“This case represents a striking glimpse into the scope and manner of methamphetamine distribution in the Spokane area,” said U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt.

The federal prosecutor said the 14-year prison term given to Klein “should speak volumes to those who engage in meth usage and distribution. If you are involved with methamphetamine, it is only a matter of time before you lose your health, your future and your freedom.”