MISSOULA — A Butte woman pleaded guilty to fentanyl distribution charges on August 15, 2025, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme announced.
Brooke Rose Louise Cardonia, 33, entered a plea for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison, a maximum fine of $10 million, and at least five years of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided over the hearing, with U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen set to determine sentencing on December 18, 2025. Cardonia will remain detained pending further proceedings.
Court documents reveal that between February 2023 and March 2025, Cardonia was connected to a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that brought fentanyl into Montana. She facilitated distribution efforts and linked a co-defendant to local contacts.
Cardonia's arrest in November 2024 followed a series of fentanyl overdoses in Butte. Law enforcement had information indicating she supplied the victims. During questioning, she admitted to working with the DTO for two to three years, receiving fentanyl through a local resupply connection linked to her job.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus, with investigations conducted by multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations and the DEA.
