Washington man convicted of drug trafficking

A federal jury recently convicted a Washington man of trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine in Lake County last year.

After a two-day trial that began on April 10, the jury found David Loren Waldeck, 57, of Port Orchard, Wash., guilty of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, as charged in an indictment. U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

Waldeck faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. The court will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Sentencing was set for Sept.13, and Waldeck was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that on Oct. 24, 2022, Flathead Tribal police officers stopped and arrested an individual on outstanding warrants and learned that a person, named “David,” was in Kalispell and coming back to Polson that day with meth and fentanyl to distribute. The police officers then stopped Waldeck later that day and located 4,212 fentanyl pills, approximately 837 grams, or 1.8 pounds of meth, and approximately 489 grams, or a little more than one pound, of cocaine in his vehicle.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Amanda L. Myers are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Flathead Tribal Police Department.

“Holding drug traffickers, like Waldeck, accountable for bringing significant amounts of meth, fentanyl pills and cocaine to the Flathead Valley continues to be a top priority for our office,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich. He thanked the attorneys, investigators and the Flathead Tribal Police Department “for their hard work on this case.”