Fentanyl trafficking in Great Falls sends Washington man to prison for five years

GREAT FALLS  — A Washington man who admitted coming to Great Falls to sell fentanyl pills was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

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

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government 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 so profitable. 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.

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

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