Washington man sentenced to four years in prison for fentanyl trafficking in Missoula

MISSOULA - A Washington man who brought fentanyl pills to Missoula for distribution was sentenced today to four years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant, Dustin William Slaney, 44, of Tacoma, Washington, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement learned from sources that Slaney was a prolific drug dealer in the Missoula area from approximately January 2021 through December 2022 and that he brought drugs from Spokane to Missoula for redistribution. Investigators learned that an individual purchased more than 3,000 fentanyl pills over a 60-day period from Slaney and that he had been seen in possession of 10,000 fentanyl pills and a half-pound of meth. In December 2022, a Montana state search warrant was served on Slaney's vehicle and resulted in the recovery of fentanyl, meth, heroin, various drug paraphernalia, firearms, and U.S. currency.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. The FBI's Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force and Missoula Police Department conducted the investigation.

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 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.

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