Missoula fentanyl distributor sentenced to more than seven years in prison

MISSOULA — A Missoula man who admitted to trafficking fentanyl pills in the community was sentenced today to seven years and four months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

The defendant Shayden Bradley Westfall, 28, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged law enforcement learned that Westfall was at a Missoula hotel with distribution quantities of drugs and executed a search warrant on Westfall’s room in December 2022. Officers located approximately 500 fentanyl pills and a quarter pound of methamphetamine. Westfall also had a .40-caliber pistol he admitted had been traded for fentanyl pills.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missoula High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives 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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