Montana

Fentanyl still on the rise in Northwest Montana

Published

9 months ago

February 7, 2025

Fentanyl still on the rise in Northwest Montana

KALISPELL — Northwest Montana Drug Task Force Commander Alan Brooks said they seized their first load of fentanyl in Northwest Montana back in 2021.

“And I think there was 1,900 pills in that seizure alone, over the last four years we’ve seen that dramatically increase,” said Brooks.

“Probably seized close to 200,000 dosage units last year, where it was something that we didn’t even deal with before, now it makes up about 90% of our work,” added Brooks.

The Northwest Montana Drug Task Force is a partnership with regional law enforcement, tribal communities and the Department of Homeland Security to stop the flow of dangerous drugs entering Montana.

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Fentanyl still on the rise in Northwest Montana

“Narcotics, dealing with other drugs, methamphetamine is still large, but the fentanyl one is the one that’s impactful obviously because of the accompanying overdoses that are growing and tragic,” said Brooks.

Brooks said the majority of fentanyl they seize originates from Mexico and works its way up the West Coast before entering Montana.

“Now we’re seeing a lot of powder, so the raw fentanyl compound. And that’s obviously alarming for us, there’s a greater risk of overdose, the effect on the street is a lot stronger,” Brooks noted.

Brooks said drug trafficking organizations are preying on Montanans as they see a high demand for product and fewer law enforcement patrols compared to other states.

He calls it a modern-day gold rush for drug traffickers.

Watch related coverage: Montana drug task force talks about drugs coming from Canada into Montana

Montana drug task force talks about drugs coming from Canada into Montana

“We’re seeing profit margins increase a hundred-fold, dosage units that would cost less than a dollar down in southern states are going as much as $10 to $20 on the reservations, so the price margin is huge,” said Brooks.

Brooks said the fentanyl they are seizing is extremely potent, leading to an increase in overdoses, especially in young adults and teenagers.

“Where we’ve had overdoses with juveniles and that’s just obviously something that we haven’t navigated in years prior, but because of the dangers in potency associated with this drug, it’s now occurring.”

The task force — which covers an area from Lake County all the way to the Canadian border — relies on grant funding to operate. Brooks said more support on a city, county and state level would help them fight this epidemic.

“Many a times I’ve sat with many a family and many of individuals who become victim to this and wondering what more can be done, and again having more resources is going to be helpful.”

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Montana

Missoula Woman Arrested After False Claims And Drug Discovery

Published

6 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Missoula Woman Arrested After False Claims And Drug Discovery

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – On October 28, 2025, a Missoula Police Department Officer was dispatched to a possible physical disturbance at Council Grove Apartments. The caller, 41-year-old Danielle Auwen, reported someone was beating up her “baby-daddy.” The officer arrived on scene and contacted Auwen. The officer confirmed there was no threat or physical disturbance taking place.

Auwen advised that she heard people taunting her from inside the walls of the apartment and was shaking and stuttering. The officer observed that Auwen was displaying signs of paranoia due to drug intoxication. Dispatch advised that Auwen was previously permanently trespassed from the Council Groves Apartments.

Another officer advised that the apartment manager wanted Auwen removed and charged. Auwen advised that she was aware of the trespass, but stated she thought it was cancelled. Another officer pointed out trespass paperwork was taped to the front door of the apartment where Auwen was located. Auwen was arrested and asked the officer to grab her bag.

Officers Searched Her Bag at the Jail

The officer determined Auwen was on probation and contacted the Probation and Parole Office. The on-call Probation Officer requested that Auwen be violated for a probation violation and search the bag Auwen requested be brought to the jail. During a search of the bag, the officer located eleven yellow pills, determined to be Gabapentin. The officer contacted the PO, who advised Auwen was not prescribed Gabapentin.

According to court documents, Auwen currently has an open case and a pending Petition to Revoke in Montana’s Fourth Judicial District Court before the Honorable Leslie Halligan. Given that Auwen is now charged with an additional felony, while violating her conditions of release by Missoula County District Court and her conditions of probation, the State requested a warrant in the amount of $25,000 be issued for Auwen’s arrest.

READ MORE: Missoula News – Crime Reports

Auwen is currently being charged with felony criminal possession of dangerous drugs and criminal trespass to property. According to the jail roster, her bond was set at $50,000 for a probation violation and $25,000 for the drug charge.

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.

Cities with the most UFO sightings in Montana

Stacker compiled a ranking of cities with the most UFO sightings in Montana using data from the National UFO Reporting Center.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

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Montana

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import Argentina beef

Published

1 day ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import Argentina beef

HELENA — When President Donald Trump announced a plan last week to import more beef from Argentina, it drew quick criticism from ranchers in Montana. Now, Montana’s members of Congress say they’re pushing the administration to change course.

U.S. Sen. Steve Daines told MTN he quickly began hearing from Montanans in the cattle business after reports came out about Trump’s plan.

“The word I would describe is they feel betrayed,” he said.

(Watch the video to hear more reaction from Montana’s congressional delegation.)

Montana’s congressional delegation pushing back on plan to import beef from Argentina

Daines said Montana beef producers have already been under pressure from drought and market forces. He said this step was “an unforced error” by the administration.

All four members of Montana’s congressional delegation are Republicans. They all say the Republican president’s plan was the wrong direction and that they’ve made that case when speaking with administration leaders.

U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, who represents Montana’s western congressional district, says he understands why Trump wanted to tackle high beef prices, but that this wasn’t the right way for him to do it.

“Having a healthy cattle industry, having a healthy poultry industry and having a healthy supply chain for food is really national security,” he told MTN. “So he understands that, and I think we’re going to see some action in making sure or calming a lot of the fears from the cattlemen out there.”

Earlier this year, Daines visited Argentina and met with its conservative president, Javier Milei, during a South American tour advocating for Trump’s trade policies. He said his opinions on the country and its government don’t play any role in his feelings on this proposed deal.

“I don’t care if this is Argentinian beef or beef coming from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “The answer for what’s going on right now in the markets is not to import more beef – bottom line. It doesn’t matter where it comes from; it happens to be Argentina.”

Daines said it would be better for Montana’s cattle industry for the U.S. to focus on opening export markets rather than import markets. In 2017, Daines celebrated an agreement that led to China buying millions of dollars in Montana beef – but he said Thursday that the country has shut the doors to American beef during the ongoing trade dispute with the Trump administration.

“We were shipping over $1 billion a year in beef last year, and now it’s gone to zero,” he said.

In a statement to MTN, Sen. Tim Sheehy said he’s been talking with Trump and his team, looking for a path forward.

“Empowering hardworking ranchers who feed America and lowering prices for American families at the grocery store are not mutually exclusive,” he said. “Both can be accomplished by lowering input costs and providing a reliable, pro-growth environment for producers so ranchers can grow their operation, capture more of the value they create, and feed the nation with affordable, healthy, high-quality beef.”

Zinke and Daines say they also see areas where the federal government can make moves that will benefit both Montana ranchers and Montana consumers. Daines wants Congress to do more to tackle the huge market share four large packing companies have in the beef industry – a situation he calls a “monopoly.”

“Our ranchers don’t set the price; that price is set for them,” he said.

Zinke wants to put additional emphasis on country-of-origin labeling for beef.

“In Montana, we have a brand and that brand has value,” he said. “When it’s made in Montana, you know it’s at the top, the quality is there. And our ranchers sell premium product – that’s important.”

Daines said he supports country-of-origin labeling also, though he wants to make sure any additional steps the U.S. takes doesn’t lead to unintended consequences or retribution from countries like Canada.

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