Douglas Leo Wynne, Fentanyl Trafficking, Montana 2021

A Ronan man has pleaded guilty to trafficking fentanyl and possessing a firearm in Montana.

Missoula, MT - Douglas Leo Wynne, 30, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition by a drug addict.

The charges stem from a traffic stop in December 2021, where law enforcement found fentanyl and a gun in a vehicle. Wynne faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release.

According to court documents, the government alleged that in December 2021, the Northwest Drug Task Force obtained fentanyl from Wynne in Lake County. On December 1, 2021, the Flathead Tribal Police conducted a traffic stop of Wynne, who was arrested on a warrant.

The officer located a large sum of cash in Wynne’s back pocket and a small amount of a crystalline substance in his front pocket. The owner of the vehicle Wynne was driving consented to a search, and officers found 1,468 fentanyl pills and a .45-caliber handgun.

Wynne admitted to distributing fentanyl and that cocaine in the vehicle was for personal use. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Northwest Drug Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations and Flathead Tribal Police.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.

Sentencing was set for February 22, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Wynne was released pending further proceedings.

Defendant Name: Douglas Leo Wynne

Exact Criminal Charges: Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition by a drug addict

City and State: Missoula, MT

Exact Date: December 1, 2021 (arrest date)

Sentence or Outcome: Faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release

Dollar Amounts: $1 million fine

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mt/pr/ronan-man-admits-trafficking-fentanyl-illegal-possession-firearm