A Butte resident has pleaded guilty to federal drug charges related to the distribution of fentanyl, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Brooke Rose Louise Cardonia, 33, admitted in court to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and could result in up to life imprisonment, a $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto accepted the plea. Sentencing is scheduled for December 18, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen. Cardonia remains detained pending further proceedings.
Prosecutors stated that between February 2023 and March 2025, members of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) brought fentanyl into Montana using local contacts such as Cardonia. She facilitated the distribution process and connected a co-defendant with additional contacts in Montana who assisted the DTO’s activities.
Authorities arrested Cardonia in November 2024 following several fentanyl overdoses in Butte that were linked back to her by law enforcement investigations. During questioning, Cardonia told officers she had worked with DTO members for two or three years distributing fentanyl in Montana and received supplies through a local connection provided by the DTO via her employment.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus. Agencies involved in the investigation included Homeland Security Investigations, Southwest Montana Drug Task Force, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA, and IRS.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national initiative that uses resources from the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) programs—to combat illegal immigration, dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and address violent crime across communities.
