Ronan man admits trafficking fentanyl, illegal possession of firearm

A Ronan man accused of trafficking fentanyl and illegally possessing a firearm during a traffic stop pleaded guilty to charges Monday, dating from a traffic stop nearly a year ago. According to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich, CSKT Tribal Law Enforcement found fentanyl and a gun in the vehicle on Dec. 1, 2021.

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. Wynne faces a maximum of 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided and sentencing is set for Feb. 22, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Wynne was released pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that in December 2021, the Northwest Drug Task Force obtained fentanyl from Wynne in Lake County. On Dec. 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 said 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.

This 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, and to make neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN-based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.