Federal jury convicts Washington man of trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine in Lake County

MISSOULA  — A federal jury on Tuesday convicted a Washington man of trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine in Lake County last year, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

After a two-day trial that began on April 10, the jury found David Loren Waldeck, 57, of Port Orchard, Washington, guilty of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, as charged in an indictment. Waldeck faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Sept.13. Waldeck was detained pending further proceedings.

“Holding drug traffickers, like Waldeck, accountable for bringing significant amounts of meth, fentanyl pills and cocaine to the Flathead Valley continues to be a top priority for our office. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Amanda L. Myers, along with Homeland Security Investigations and the Flathead Tribal Police Department for their hard work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that on Oct. 24, 2022, Flathead Tribal police officers stopped and arrested an individual on outstanding warrants and learned that a person, named “David,” was in Kalispell and coming back to Polson that day with meth and fentanyl to distribute. The police officers then stopped Waldeck later that day and located 4,212 fentanyl pills, approximately 837 grams, or 1.8 pounds of meth, and approximately 489 grams, or a little more than one pound, of cocaine in his vehicle.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer S. Clark and Amanda L. Myers are prosecuting the case, which was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and Flathead Tribal Police Department.

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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