MISSOULA — A Missoula woman who distributed significant amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine was sentenced Thursday to eight years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced.
Taylor Gale Penny, 35, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement investigated Penny and her co-defendant for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine from November 2023 through her September 2024 arrest.
According to a news release, law enforcement recovered over 1,000 fentanyl pills and 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine in a series of vehicle searches. Law enforcement received information that Penny and her co-defendant were moving over 100,000 fentanyl pills and pounds of methamphetamine. Confidential sources stated they were the biggest dealers in the Missoula area.
Penny told law enforcement following her Sept. 3, 2024, arrest that she began distributing fentanyl in January 2024 to support her habit. By March 2024, she was distributing approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills per week in the Missoula area.
Prosecutors say Penny admitted to distributing well over 120,000 pills during the nine months preceding her arrest. This amount was corroborated by a confidential source who told law enforcement Penny had distributed approximately 120,000 fentanyl pills and six ounces of fentanyl powder over six months.
U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen presided over the sentencing.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force.
