A Poplar man is facing a minimum of five years in prison for federal drug crimes.
Conner Louis Gourneau, 34, appeared in Great Falls Federal Court December 14, 2022 and changed his plea to guilty of drug charges against him. Gourneau was indicted on possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
Federal court documents state Gourneau entered into a plea agreement with the government. He agreed to plead guilty to the charges rather than taking this to trial.
Gourneau was in court before federal Chief Judge Brian M. Morris, who accepted his plea and ordered Gourneau to be detained until further proceedings. Sentencing in this case is set for April 27, 2023, in Great Falls.
According to the government’s Offer of Proof, which lays out the criminal case against a defendant, a Bureau of Indian Affairs Confidential Informant conducted purchases of methamphetamine from Gourneau on 10 separate occasions. When police interviewed him later, he admitted to “sharing” methamphetamine with others in Wolf Point and Poplar.
On July 26, 2022, police arrested Gourneau on an outstanding tribal warrant. When they did a search of his person and vehicle, law enforcement found $960 cash, a digital scale, methamphetamine, and three smart phones.
Under federal law, a person convicted of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute must get a minimum mandatory sentence of five years incarceration.
