A notorious Missoula woman who peddled fentanyl in the community has been brought to justice. Janelle Ann Bergeson, 38, was sentenced to 4 years and 2 months in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
The harsh sentence comes after Bergeson pleaded guilty in January to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided over the case.
According to court documents, Bergeson distributed fentanyl in the Missoula community from at least September 2022 to January 2023. On one occasion, she traveled with a co-conspirator to acquire the drug in Spokane, Washington. The government estimated that Bergeson is accountable for the distribution of between 2,400 and 6,000 fentanyl pills.
During an investigation, federal agents intercepted a package addressed to co-defendant Nikolas Pellant and found several hundred fentanyl pills inside. The probe determined that Pellant, his girlfriend Lynsi Barnes, and co-defendant Beau James Breneman had been selling the drug they acquired through the mail and regular trips to Spokane. Bergeson was their primary customer, purchasing between 40 and 100 pills every day.
A traffic stop in January 2023 by the Montana Highway Patrol stopped Barnes as she was returning from a trip to Spokane, with Bergeson in the front passenger seat. Law enforcement searched the vehicle and seized more than 450 fentanyl pills. Pellant, Barnes, and Breneman each received a sentence of 5 years and 3 months for their convictions in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case, which was conducted by the Missouri River Drug Task Force, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Postal Service, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and Shoshone County (Idaho) Sheriff’s Office.
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Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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