U.S. Attorney’s Office: Man who trafficked fentanyl sentenced

MISSOULA — A Pablo man who admitted to trafficking fentanyl pills in the community and was caught with $6,070 in U.S. currency and a firearm was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said in a news release from his office.

In the news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office described the proceedings:

Donald Ray McLeod, 38, pleaded guilty in July to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that on Dec. 20, 2021, McLeod fled from an attempted traffic stop in Lake County and was arrested following a crash. In a search of the vehicle, officer located a large amount of fentanyl pills, $6,070 in U.S. currency and a .380-caliber pistol.

McLeod admitted to investigators that he sold pills to make money and estimated he traveled nearly two times a month for more than one year to Spokane, Washington, to pick up from 250 to 500 pills each trip. The investigation found that the pills seized contained 358 fentanyl pills.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Northwest Drug Task Force.

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 our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in 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.