LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Omaha federal court sentenced a Lincoln man to 26 years in prison for firearm charges.

Acting U.S. Attorney Steven Russell said 35-year-old Blake Ruel, of Lincoln, was sentenced to 322 months' imprisonment on Friday for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Ruel will serve an eight-year term of supervised release after he is released from prison. There is no parole in the federal system. 

According to authorities, an officer with the Omaha Police Department stopped Ruel’s vehicle in Omaha on May 11, 2021 after officers watched him in Lincoln and Omaha. Officers reportedly saw Ruel engage in what they believed to be drug distribution activity.

Officials said a police K9 reportedly alerted to the presence of drugs in Ruel’s vehicle. Officers then searched the vehicle and found more than 104 grams of methamphetamine along with a handgun. Ruel also had prior felony convictions for terroristic threats and possession of controlled substances with intent to deliver.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and Omaha Police Department.