Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
MISSOULA — A Missoula man who admitted to distributing pounds of methamphetamine and thousands of fentanyl pills that were shipped from Washington was sentenced today to 19 years and seven months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
The defendant, Alejandro Romero, 36, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
“We won’t make progress against our nation’s drug epidemic unless the biggest drug traffickers are held accountable, which we’ve done today. Romero is responsible for peddling pounds and pounds of meth and thousands of fentanyl pills, including pink pills, as well as distributing fentanyl powder. His lengthy federal prison sentence shows we are determined to make the progress Montanans expect and deserve regarding drug traffickers poisoning our communities,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
The government alleged in court documents that from December 2023 through March 2024 in Missoula, Romero possessed fentanyl, and meth for distribution. During the sentencing hearing, the court noted that Romero was distributing fentanyl, including pink fentanyl. Pink fentanyl is a more potent form of the drug. One individual purchased approximately two pounds of meth directly from Romero in separate transactions and also purchased fentanyl pills and heroin from him. The individual also witnessed Romero in his hotel room and in possession of thousands of fentanyl pills, pounds of powdered fentanyl, 10 pounds of meth, which is the equivalent of approximately 36,240 doses, and a little more than two pounds of heroin. Another individual received approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills in Washington in a drug transaction that Romero arranged and had fronted the individual $3,000 to obtain the pills. When interviewed Romero admitted that he distributed in Montana large quantities of meth and fentanyl that had been shipped from Washington.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
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