United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MADISON, Wis. – John G. McGarry, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Drug Enforcement Administration-Milwaukee, and U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Ryan P. Murray, 45, Weston, Wisconsin, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 137 months in federal prison for possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

The prison term will be followed by eight years of supervised release. Murray pleaded guilty to this charge on Jan. 31, 2023.

On Jan.10, 2022, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a report of a one vehicle crash. The driver, Murray, had left the scene of the crash and was found some distance away. Next to Murray, deputies located a bag that contained 291 grams of methamphetamine. Deputies located a loaded Glock 9mm handgun along the path Murray had travelled leaving the crash scene. Within Murray’s crashed vehicle, deputies found a Kel-Tec rifle, 10 loaded extended magazines and a suppressor. 

At the time of this incident, Murray had five active arrest warrants and had nine open state criminal cases, including four involving possessing a firearm as a felon and another involving substantial battery. Murray has since been convicted and sentenced in many of his state cases and is currently serving multiple state prison sentences with an anticipated release date of Feb. 16, 2028.

As it relates to the firearms involved in this case, Murray was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon on April 11, 2022, and was sentenced to 180 days in county jail. Judge Peterson ordered Murray’s 137-month federal sentence run concurrently to the remainder of his state prison sentences and to any sentences imposed on his still pending cases.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson noted that the protection of the public was the primary driver of the sentence in this case. He highlighted Murray’s nearly unrelenting pattern of criminality for over 25 years and that Murray was a drug dealer who goes heavily armed. Murray’s history of guns, violence and drug trafficking represented a clear danger to the community. 

The charge against Murray was the result of an investigation conducted by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven P. Anderson prosecuted this case.