After receiving fentanyl pills in the mail, a Bozeman man detained

Bozeman, Montana – A US Postal Inspector alerted Bozeman Police to a suspicious box that was later discovered to contain a significant amount of fentanyl and was purportedly about to be delivered to the man. As a result, a Bozeman man was detained on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Nicholas Shields, 30, is expected to appear in Gallatin County Justice Court.

According to the criminal documents, a US Postal Inspector contacted a detective with the Bozeman Police Department on Friday, February 17, 2023, regarding a package that originated in California and was intended to be delivered to Shields’ PO box in Bozeman.

Shields had warnings for “drug offender,” according to the local law enforcement database that the detective reviewed.

The inspector examined the parcel after a search warrant was authorized and found a huge vacuum-sealed bag inside a Monopoly box that contained little blue “M30” pills. Court documents state that blue “M30” pills are frequently fake and contain fentanyl.

According to the records, the tablets weighed 39.6g, which is equivalent to 1,980 deadly doses. Due to officer safety, the bag of pills was not opened, however, it included about 200 pills.

Shields allegedly told the arresting officer that he had purchased his “medication” from an “internet pharmacy” when he was being detained. Shields reportedly said he didn’t care and that the fact that he didn’t have a prescription was the reason he was buying the pills online when it was pointed out that he probably ordered fentanyl.