MISSOULA — A Polson man who admitted to trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023.
Thomas Joseph Duran, 42, was given five years and six months years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Duran pleaded guilty in April to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
Prosecutors alleged in court documents that Montana Highway Patrol troopers made a traffic stop in Lake County in June of 2022 and later searched a vehicle in which Duran was a passenger.
Law enforcement recovered meth, fentanyl, $8,135 in U.S. currency and firearms.
Duran admitted that he distributed the drugs in exchange for money.
Co-defendant Andrew Joseph Shields, of Kalispell, who was the driver of the vehicle, was sentenced recently to 11 years and three months in prison for his conviction in the case.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided over the sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. The Northwest Drug Task Force and Montana Highway Patrol conducted the investigation.
