Federal jury convicts Browning man of distributing fentanyl that resulted in death of man on Blackfeet Indian Reservation

Press Release

GREAT FALLS - A federal jury on Thursday found a Browning man guilty of distributing fentanyl that resulted in the death of a man in his home on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

After a three-day trial that began on Sept. 17, the jury 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. Malatare faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years to life in prison, a $1 million fine and at least three years of supervised release on the distribution charge and a mandatory minimum of five years to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine and at least four years of supervised release on the possession charge.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court set sentencing for Jan. 22, 2025. Malatare was detained pending further proceedings.

"Fentanyl is our nation's deadliest illicit drug threat, as it is devastating families and communities. And we are fiercely determined to hold accountable those who are responsible for such devastation, especially when one's drug trafficking results in another's death. Malatare poisoned the Blackfeet reservation and made thousands of dollars doing it, including costing the victim his life. I applaud the jury for holding Malatare accountable and am relieved Malatare will no longer be poisoning the streets of Browning and the surrounding area," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

In court documents and at trial, the government alleged that on Nov. 19, 2022, the mother of the victim, John Doe, with whom she shared a residence, found him deceased in his bathroom. Doe was 49 years old when he died, and his 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. Forensic testing and an autopsy conducted on Doe's body showed that he had fentanyl in his blood and urine. Ibuprofen and hydrocodone also were detected in his body. A medical examiner concluded that Doe had died of acute fentanyl intoxication.

The government further alleged that a law enforcement search of Doe's cell phone found a text exchange between Doe and Malatare the evening Doe overdosed. The exchange included:

Malatare to Doe: "Catch up with you lil bit bro, you looking."

Doe to Malatare: "Yeah, I'll be home. Just got off work. I can only afford half if you can stop by."

An investigation determined that beginning in at least September 2022, an individual named "Doug," and later identified as Malatare, was bringing fentanyl from Washington to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and that Malatare made several quick trips back and forth to Washington between September and December 2022. On Dec. 17, 2022, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services stopped Malatare for speeding and used a K-9 to conduct a sniff search on the car. The K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. Law enforcement seized the car and obtained a search warrant. Officers searched a fanny pack before allowing Malatare to possess it and found a bag of blue and white pills that they suspected contained fentanyl. In a search of the vehicle, officers found a quantity of multi-colored fentanyl pills in the back seat behind a middle armrest. They also recovered a digital scale and multiple rolls of U.S. currency. An analysis determined both the multi-colored pills and blue and white pills contained fentanyl. In total, the Drug Enforcement Administration lab found more than 600 fentanyl pills. A witness told law enforcement that Malatare was bragging that he purchased the pills for $2 per pill in Washington and sold them for $50 to $60 per pill in Montana. The pills seized from Malatare had an estimated street value of more than $30,000.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting 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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Updated September 23, 2024