A Browning man, Douglas Darren Malatare, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for distributing fentanyl that led to the death of a man on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. This sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Malatare, aged 59, was found guilty by a federal jury in September 2024. He faced charges of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. The verdict came after a three-day trial presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris.
"Malatare’s fentanyl trafficking resulted in the death of a man who was found dead by his mother," stated U.S. Attorney Laslovich. "The victim could only afford half a pill from Malatare and it killed him after he ingested it."
The case involved an incident on November 19, 2022, when John Doe, aged 49, was found deceased at his home on the reservation by his mother. Initial investigations showed no obvious signs of cause of death until an autopsy revealed acute fentanyl intoxication as the cause.
Evidence presented during the trial included text messages between Doe and Malatare discussing drug transactions. Further investigation uncovered that Malatare had been transporting fentanyl from Washington to Montana since at least September 2022.
On December 17, 2022, law enforcement stopped Malatare's vehicle where hundreds of fentanyl pills were discovered following a K-9 alert and subsequent search warrant execution.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigations conducted by Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, DEA, and FBI.