Attorney General Knudsen provides update on Montana drug seizures

HELENA – Attorney General Austin Knudsen announced today cocaine and methamphetamine seizures increased in Montana during the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same time last year, while fentanyl seizures continued to decline. Anti-drug task forces remain committed to keeping dangerous drugs out of Montana communities.

“Fentanyl and other dangerous drugs continue to threaten communities, and the battle against the cartels that are bringing them into our state is far from over. Montana’s anti-drug task forces continue to aggressively target drug traffickers and adapt to changing trends,” Attorney General Knudsen said. “The Montana Department of Justice remains committed to seizing illegal drugs before they reach our communities.”  

Through the first quarter of 2026, Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (RMHIDTA) task forces seized a total of 30,179 dosage units of fentanyl in Montana, compared to 31,506 dosage units seized during the same time last year. According to RMHIDTA data, cocaine seizures doubled (14 from 7 pounds), and methamphetamine seizures increased 133 percent (130 from 26 pounds).

These quantities are from the six RMHIDTA Montana task forces, which include the Montana Department of Justice’s Narcotics Bureau agents and Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) Criminal Interdiction Teams, which are overseen by Attorney General Knudsen, and are not all-inclusive of drugs seized by all law enforcement in the state but help to provide statewide trends.

From January 1 through July 6, the Montana Highway Patrol (MHP), which reports the Criminal Interdiction Team’s seizures to HIDTA, seized more than 70 pounds of methamphetamine, 23 pounds of marijuana, $43,557, and 35 weapons.

According to the State Crime Lab, there have been 13 fentanyl-linked fatal overdoses and 16 methamphetamine-linked fatal overdoses so far this year. These numbers do not reflect the statewide total, as the crime lab only verifies deaths involving an autopsy.

Attorney General Knudsen has made it a priority of his administration to combat the opioid crisis in Montana. This year he launched the “Drug-Free Montana Tour” to encourage Montana students to make good choices and say “no” to drugs, while highlighting the impact of substance abuse. He also continues to host Opioid Overdose Prevention Summits across the state for Montanans to hear from advocates, law enforcement, family members who lost a loved one to an overdose, and educators to work toward a solution to the opioid overdose epidemic.

During the 2025 legislative session, he supported Senate Bill 261, which allows prosecutors to charge adults with endangering the welfare of a child if fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and other dangerous drugs are found in their possession while a child is present. He also sent a letter to the Trump administration urging them to close a drug trafficking loophole that allowed drug traffickers to flood deadly fentanyl into the country.

During the Biden administration, he urged Biden to secure the southern border by calling on the administration to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations and classify fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction. He also filed multiple lawsuits against the Biden administration aimed at securing the border with Mexico and stopping the influx of drugs into the United States.