United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Merry Barbara Bills, 42, from Lincoln, Nebraska, received a sentence on February 6, 2025. She was sentenced in federal court for possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine mixture and an unspecified amount of marijuana. United States District Judge Susan M. Bazis imposed a sentence of 125 months' imprisonment. The federal system does not allow parole. Following her prison term, Bills will serve a five-year supervised release.
The incident leading to Bills's arrest occurred shortly before 1:00 am on November 26, 2023. Officers from the Lincoln Police Department were called to a convenience store in Lincoln after a clerk discovered a bag outside the entrance containing four breast milk bags filled with approximately 33 grams of meth each. The clerk handed the bag to LPD and provided descriptions of the couple believed to be linked to it, as well as their vehicle.
Security footage from the store showed Bills and a male companion arriving just before midnight on November 25, 2023. Bills dropped the bag containing meth when she exited their car and put on her coat before entering the store. They left about twenty minutes later without noticing the bag outside but returned ten minutes later appearing to search briefly before leaving again.
Around 2:00 am on November 26th, the clerk informed LPD that the couple had returned. Officers found Bills in the store restroom holding a bag with approximately one ounce of meth; another bag was found on her person. She admitted all meth belonged to her for personal use purposes; however, authorities discovered approximately six ounces in total.
The investigation was conducted by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.