North Platte Man Sentenced for Meth Distribution and Gun Possession

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Brad Jay Leeper, age 47, of North Platte, Nebraska, was sentenced August 29, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska, for distribution of 5 grams or more of actual methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. Senior U.S. District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon sentenced Leeper to a total of 84 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Leeper’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release.

Beginning in 2021, the FBI and CODE Drug Task Force opened an investigation into drug trafficking in the North Platte, Nebraska area. In June of 2022, they were able to conduct a controlled buy, set up over Facebook, involving Leeper. The buy was audio recorded and surveilled by law enforcement. Leeper was present as the passenger in the vehicle involved in the controlled buy, personally handed the meth over, and was recorded advising the total weight as 28.38 grams. Subsequent testing by the state crime lab confirmed the substance was 100% pure meth and weighed 28 grams.

Leeper was federally indicted and on January 23, 2024, law enforcement went to Leeper’s trailer home to serve the arrest warrant. Leeper was taken into custody near the front door and gave officers permission to enter his trailer to ensure no one else was present for officer safety. When officers entered the trailer, they observed, in plain view, a 9mm handgun. When asked, Leeper then consented to a complete search of his trailer which located 53 rounds of ammunition, as well as a loaded syringe with suspected meth/fentanyl, a smoking bong, a mirror with meth residue, baggies with meth residue, and additional unused syringes.  At the time of his arrest, Leeper had three prior felony convictions out of Nebraska state courts. He was also on state probation.

This case was investigated by the CODE Task Force which is made up of law enforcement agencies throughout a 22-county area in west-central/southwest Nebraska and includes the North Platte Police Department, Dawson County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Red Willow County Sheriff’s Office, Frontier County Sheriff’s Office, Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).