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Press Release

Missoula woman sentenced to 8 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Montana

MISSOULA – A Missoula woman who distributed significant amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine was sentenced today to 96 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Taylor Gale Penny, 35, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement investigated Penny and her co-defendant for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine from November 2023 through her September 2024 arrest. In a series of vehicle searches, law enforcement recovered over 1,000 fentanyl pills and 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine. Law enforcement received information that Penny and her co-defendant were moving over 100,000 fentanyl pills and pounds of methamphetamine. Confidential sources stated they were the biggest dealers in the Missoula area.

After her arrest on September 3, 2024, Penny told law enforcement she began distributing fentanyl in January 2024 to support her habit. By March 2024, she was distributing approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills per week in the Missoula area. In total, she admitted to distributing well over 120,000 pills during the nine months preceding her arrest. This amount was corroborated by a confidential source who told law enforcement Penny had distributed approximately 120,000 fentanyl pills and six ounces of fentanyl powder over six months.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case, and the investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime 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 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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Contact

Keri Leggett

Acting Public Affairs Officer

keri.leggett@usdoj.gov

Updated April 24, 2025

Topic
Project Safe Neighborhoods
Press Release Number: 25-77