Washington man sentenced to 12 years in prison for trafficking meth, fentanyl in Montana
MISSOULA — A Washington man who admitted to bringing methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills to Montana for distribution was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
Ryan Creighton Doak, 49, of Everett, Washington, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that on Feb. 2, 2023, Doak was the passenger in a vehicle, driven by his girlfriend, that was stopped in Montana. Law enforcement arrested Doak after a Montana Highway Patrol trooper located a device for smoking drugs and a small amount of heroin on Doak. Investigators executed a search warrant on the vehicle and recovered a firearm, more than 100 grams of meth, and nearly 3,000 fentanyl pills. Doak admitted to investigators to making several trips to Montana to distribute controlled substances. The government estimated that Doak brought to Montana 12,000 to 14,000 fentanyl pills and 1.5 to 1.75 pounds of meth in three months.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott prosecuted the case. The Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Montana Highway Patrol 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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Clair J. Howard
Public Affairs Officer
406-247-4623
Clair.Howard@usdoj.gov