A Washington man who admitted coming to Great Falls to sell fentanyl pills was sentenced Oct. 11 in federal court to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Ryan Mark Jensen, 44, of Bremerton, Wash., pleaded guilty in May to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided in the federal court in Great Falls.

Minnesota man convicted in Great Falls court for trafficking meth and fentanyl in Montana

Prosecutors alleged that Jensen was a significant drug dealer in Great Falls and had come to Great Falls from Washington to sell fentanyl pills because the mark-up on the pills was profitable, according to court documents.

In September 2022, the Russell Country Drug Task Force learned that Jensen was distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl pills while staying at a local hotel. Investigators searched his hotel room and found a small backpack containing several hundred fentanyl pills and a digital scale. Law enforcement also found small baggies that appeared to have contained meth residue, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Great Falls man sentenced for fentanyl trafficking

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica A. Betley prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

Jenn Rowell

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