Timothy J. Racicot Acting United States Attorney for the District of Montana | Wikipedia
A Missoula woman, Taylor Gale Penny, aged 35, has been sentenced to eight years in prison for distributing substantial quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine, as announced by U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme. Following her prison term, she will also undergo five years of supervised release.
Taylor Gale Penny pleaded guilty in December 2024 to charges related to drug distribution. The case was overseen by U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen. According to court documents, Penny and a co-defendant were involved in distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine from November 2023 until Penny's arrest in September 2024.
Law enforcement conducted multiple vehicle searches, recovering more than 1,000 fentanyl pills and 1.5 ounces of methamphetamine. Reports from confidential sources suggested that Penny and her associate were responsible for moving over 100,000 fentanyl pills and significant amounts of methamphetamine in the Missoula region.
After her arrest on September 3, 2024, Penny disclosed to law enforcement that her distribution activities began in January 2024, driven by her own fentanyl addiction. By March 2024, she was distributing around 5,000 fentanyl pills weekly. She acknowledged distributing more than 120,000 pills over a nine-month span, a claim corroborated by a confidential source who estimated the distribution at 120,000 fentanyl pills and six ounces of fentanyl powder over six months.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office led the prosecution, with the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducting the investigation. The case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and enhancing community safety. Introduced with a strengthened strategy in May 2021, PSN focuses on fostering trust, supporting community-based prevention, prioritizing strategic enforcement, and measuring outcomes. Further information about the program is available at Justice.gov/PSN.
