Two Missoula residents admit to trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, meth in community

MISSOULA — Two Missoula residents accused of working together to distribute more than 100,000 fentanyl pills and pounds of meth in the community admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendants, Taylor Gale Penny, 35, and Joey Lee Forward, 34, each pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. The defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing was set for April 24, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Penny was detained pending further proceedings. Forward was released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force was investigating Penny and Forward for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine from November 2023 until September 2024. Information received indicated the defendants were moving more than 100,000 fentanyl pills and pounds of meth. During various encounters with law enforcement, the defendants possessed more than 1,000 fentanyl pills and 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine. Confidential sources stated that Penny and Forward were the biggest dealers in Missoula.

After her arrest on Sept. 3, 2024, Penny told law enforcement that she began distributing fentanyl in January 2024 to support her habit. In March 2024, she was distributing approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills per week in Missoula. In total, she admitted to distributing well over 120,000 pills over the last nine months.

Penny told law enforcement she met Forward two years prior and was purchasing fentanyl pills from him. They then began to work together, and she would cut him in on profits she received. She estimated that Forward distributed four ounces of methamphetamine every week over the last six months, for approximately six pounds of methamphetamine.

Forward told law enforcement that he would distribute 85 fentanyl pills each day. He admitted also distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl powder.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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