GREAT FALLS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
GREAT FALLS — A Browning man convicted by a federal jury of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a man in his home on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
A jury in September 2024 found the defendant, Douglas Darren Malatare, 59, guilty of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl as charged in an indictment following a three-day trial.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.
“Malatare’s fentanyl trafficking resulted in the death of a man who was found dead by his mother. The victim could only afford half a pill from Malatare and it killed him after he ingested it. Fentanyl continues to be our nation’s deadliest illicit drug threat, and it is devastating families and communities, especially in Indian Country. Our office and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue and hold accountable those responsible for poisoning people,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
At trial and in court documents, the government alleged that on Nov. 19, 2022, the mother of the victim, John Doe, 49, with whom she shared a residence, found him deceased in his bathroom. Doe’s body showed no obvious signs of cause of death. Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services and the Glacier County coroner investigated. In Doe’s bedroom, law enforcement found blue powder and a straw on top of a dresser. Doe’s mother reported that Doe had been at the residence the evening before. That evening, Doe’s friend, Malatare, had visited with Doe outside the residence. Doe and his mother then had dinner, during which she noticed Doe had a hard time staying awake. Doe’s mother found him unresponsive in the bathroom. An autopsy determined that Doe died from acute fentanyl intoxication.
The government further alleged that a law enforcement search of Doe’s cell phone found a text exchange of Malatare asking if Doe was “looking.” Doe responded: “Yeah, I’ll be home. Just got off work. I can only afford half if you can stop by.” Malatare replied, “Watch for me.”
An investigation determined that beginning in at least September 2022, Malatare was bringing fentanyl from Washington to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and made several quick trips back and forth to Washington between September and December 2022. On Dec. 17, 2022, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services made a traffic stop of Malatare, and a K-9 alerted on his vehicle, which was seized for a search warrant. Malatare was arrested tribally for fentanyl pills he had in his personal pouch that he sought to take with him. While in the Browning jail, Malatare bragged to a cellmate that he was buying pills in Washington and selling them in Montana for much higher rates. Law enforcement found hundreds of fentanyl pills in a search of Malatare’s vehicle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, DEA, and FBI conducted the investigation.
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