Southeast Montana News

A Butte resident, Adam Hassan Abdel Aziz, has been sentenced to five and a half years in prison for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl. This sentence will be followed by four years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.

Aziz, 40, pleaded guilty in June to charges of possession with intent to distribute both cocaine and fentanyl. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the case.

The government reported that on June 1, 2023, drug task force officers observed Aziz visiting the home of a suspected drug trafficker in East Helena. Shortly after leaving the residence, his vehicle was stopped near Butte by the Montana Highway Patrol. At the time of his arrest, Aziz was on state parole and consented to a search of his car. Officers found drug paraphernalia during this search.

Further inspection authorized by Aziz’s parole officer revealed approximately 1,700 fentanyl pills and 27 grams of cocaine taped beneath the steering column of his vehicle. Aziz admitted he had obtained between four to five thousand fentanyl pills in the preceding month for about $10,000.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigations conducted by several agencies including the Missouri River Drug Task Force and Southwest Montana Drug Task Force among others.

This legal action is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), an initiative aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and community organizations.