Columbia Falls man faces federal drug, firearm charges

A Columbia Falls man recently pleaded not guilty to charges of possession of drugs and an illegal firearm in federal court.

Wade Patrick Wright, 48, appeared in U.S. District Court on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and possession of a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun that wasn’t registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. On April 22, 2015, Wright allegedly possessed substances with a detectable amount of methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms.

A citizen possessing a short-barreled shotgun is illegal unless it is registered with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. If convicted of the charges, Wright faces life in prison, $1 million in fines and five years supervised release. A jury trial is scheduled for March 7.

Wright was in custody at the Montana State Prison at the time of the arraignment due to a 20-year sentence by the Flathead County court in November. Ten years of the sentence were suspended after a plea agreement was made. Wright was charged with criminal distribution of dangerous drugs.

In July 2013, agents of the Northwest Montana Drug Task Force conducted an undercover drug buy operation using an informant and electronic monitoring. NWDTF agent Steve Spanogle learned from the informant that they could purchase meth from Wright. The informant agreed to meet Wright at his Columbia Falls residence. Agents observed Wright arrive at his home 10 minutes before the informant showed up and later in a vehicle giving the informant a ride to Spanogle’s undercover vehicle. Electronic surveillance recorded the informant counting out money and Wright weighing meth inside his house. The purchased substance tested positive for meth.

Wright also had a previous drug charge from 1997.