Will Forfeit $491,674.52 in Cash and Five Firearms
SALT LAKE CITY - Brenton Michael Forney, 28, of Salt Lake City, the lead defendant in a federal drug case targeting a significant drug trafficking organization distributing methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl in Utah communities, will serve 276 months in federal prison.
Forney pleaded guilty in October to one count of possession of methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl with intent to distribute. As a part of the agreement with federal prosecutors, Forney admitted that in October 2018, he was in possession of the controlled substances and intended to sell them. The drugs, seized following the execution of a search warrant, were tested and determined to be approximately 12,591.5 grams of actual methamphetamine, approximately 6,000 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine, approximately 10,054 grams of heroin, and approximately 1,789 grams of fentanyl.
“The women and men of Utah law enforcement dismantled a prolific drug trafficking operation," U.S. Attorney John W. Huber said today. “They significantly slowed the flow of extraordinarily dangerous substances into our neighborhoods, such as fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine. I am confident that this operation, and others like it, helped saved Utah lives."
U.S. District Judge Jill N. Parrish imposed the sentence Tuesday afternoon in federal court. The sentencing guideline range for Forney was life in federal prison with a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence given the quantity of drugs involved and two previous convictions for drug trafficking. The plea agreement included a stipulated sentence of 23 years. Forney will forfeit $491,674.52 in cash and five firearms and associated ammunition as a part of the resolution of the case.
Forney and six other defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, two counts of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, four counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, eight counts of distribution of a controlled substance, 19 counts of use of a communication facility in a drug trafficking offense, and one count of structuring in a superseding indictment returned in November 2018.
During the investigation of the case, approximately 47 pounds of methamphetamine, 26.4 pounds of heroin, 4.4 pounds of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, and eight guns were seized.
At sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Kennedy said prosecutors learned that in the aftermath of Forney’s arrest and the seizure of his drugs, there was a significant decline in the availability of illegal drugs in the Salt Lake Valley for months afterward.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. Officers and agents with the DEA Metro Narcotics Task Force, Layton Police Department, and the Davis Metro Narcotics Strike Force investigated the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
