Tribune Staff BILLINGS — A Florida man pulled over near Columbus by the Montana Highway Patrol with 78 pounds of meth was sentenced Tuesday in one of the state's largest drug seizures to date. Nicholas James Imhoff, 30, of Cape Coral, Fla., was sentenced to 11 years in prison and to five years of supervised release, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. The meth had an estimated street value of between $624,000 and $1.2 million. Imhoff pleaded guilty on Sept. 9, 2020, to possession with intent to distribute meth. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided. “With this traffic stop of Mr. Imhoff’s vehicle, the Montana Highway Patrol prevented a staggering amount of nearly pure methamphetamine from hitting the streets and harming communities," Acting U.S. Attorney Leif Johnson said. "The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to dealing with the problem of meth in our communities. We need to reduce both supply and demand. One way to reduce supply is demonstrated by this case. Meth traffickers caught in Montana will be investigated and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”