Investigation and drug operation
Towner's sentence also includes three years of supervised release after he leaves prison, NBC Montana reported.
Court documents identify Towner as a primary distributor in a methamphetamine operation based in a Red Lodge storage unit. From 2023 through 2025, Missouri River drug task force investigators made multiple controlled purchases of drugs from him.
The operation was led by Chad Allen Bachmann, according to KBZK (MTN News). Citing prosecutors, the station reported that Bachmann repeatedly traveled to meet suppliers in Washington, Oregon and California, bringing large quantities of methamphetamine into Montana.
In 2025, Bachmann supplied Towner and co-defendant Raven Renay Thompson with a significant quantity of methamphetamine and instructed them to sell it to users around Bozeman, KBZK reported.
Sentences for others in the case
Bachmann was sentenced in July 2026 to more than 18 years in federal prison for drug trafficking, according to KBZK.
Thompson, 26, of Bozeman, has pleaded guilty to dealing methamphetamine for Bachmann's ring. KBZK reported that she faces a prison term of 10 years to life, a $10 million fine, five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. Her sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 9, 2026.
