Leck arrested for meth after prison
Time in federal prison was apparently not enough to discourage a man who authorities say was one of the leaders in methamphetamine trafficking in this area, dating back to the early emergence of the drug.
“He was the man when you’re talking about methamphetamine,” said Sheriff Jackie Matheny after the arrest recently of Robert Leck. “He kind of treated it like a business, more than other meth producers do around here. Some folks have told me he could have been a successful businessman if he had stayed straight.”
Leck was arrested last week by the sheriff’s department and Methamphetamine Task Force in the middle of allegedly conducting a drug transaction in a parking lot near Morrison. Matheny said he was caught with about two ounces of meth. The arrest came following an investigation of the convicted felon, who had reportedly re-entered his old line of work.
According to Matheny, Leck was released from federal prison in 1999 after serving time there for meth trafficking. Leck was returned to federal custody after his arrest last week and will face federal prosecution on the meth charge.
Federal agents work with local authorities on the methampethamine task force which is focused on running operations in the Midstate targeting producers of the illegal drug. Many cases made by the task force are turned over to the federal court for prosecution because sentences tend to run longer on the federal level. Leck’s arrest in the late 1990s was also handled by federal authorities.