Mtstandard

Butte drug trafficker receives prison time

N.Kim37 min ago

GREAT FALLS — A Butte man who admitted to trafficking cocaine and fentanyl after law enforcement stopped his vehicle in Butte and found 1,700 fentanyl pills and cocaine taped to the steering column was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Great Falls to five and one-half years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.

, 40, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and fentanyl.

In court documents, the government alleged that on June 1, 2023, drug task force officers conducting surveillance on the home of a suspected drug trafficker in East Helena saw Aziz arrive, go inside the residence and leave a short time later. Surveilling officers notified drug task force members, and the Montana Highway Patrol later stopped Aziz's car near Butte. Aziz was on state parole at the time and consented to a search of the car, during which officers observed drug paraphernalia.

During another search authorized by Aziz's parole officer, law enforcement located a package containing a bag of about 1,700 fentanyl pills and 27 grams of cocaine taped to the underside of the car's steering column. Aziz admitted he had acquired 4,000-5,000 fentanyl pills in the past month and had paid about $10,000 for the drugs.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force, Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, Montana Highway Patrol, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff's Office, Montana Probation and Parole and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.

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