A Kalispell man convicted of trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl was sentenced Thursday to 11 years and three months in the Montana State Prison followed by five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Andrew Joseph Shields, 40, pleaded guilty in March to possession with intent to distribute controlled substance before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy.
According to court documents, Montana Highway Patrol troopers in June 2022 made a traffic stop of a vehicle Shields was driving in Lake County. During the stop, a trooper saw a firearm in the vehicle and, in a later search, law enforcement found more than one pound of meth, fentanyl, additional firearms and more than $8,000 in cash.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliot prosecuted the case.