North Platte man sentenced to 10 years for meth distribution

LINCOLN, Neb. — A North Platte man, Austin Priest, 35, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Tuesday for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The sentence was handed down by Senior U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard in Lincoln, Nebraska. Priest’s federal sentence will run consecutively to a state prison term he is already serving for meth-related offenses. Under federal law, there is no parole, and after completing his sentence, Priest will serve five years of supervised release.

Priest was arrested following an Oct. 15, 2023, traffic stop by North Platte Police. Officers, acting on prior intelligence, suspected the vehicle Priest was driving was involved in narcotics distribution. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the presence of drugs during the stop, prompting a search of the vehicle. Officers discovered a pound of methamphetamine in a jacket located on the passenger side of the car.

Priest initially denied knowing about the meth, but evidence, including a photo on a co-defendant's phone showing Priest wearing the jacket, connected him to the drugs. Priest was already out on bond for three separate state meth-related charges at the time of his arrest.

The meth was tested at a state crime lab and confirmed to be 95.7% pure, totaling 400 grams of actual methamphetamine. The North Platte Police Department conducted the investigation.