Drug trafficker sentenced, another pleads guilty in federal court

GILLETTE (WNE) — A man accused of driving large amounts of meth and fentanyl to sell throughout Campbell County has been sentenced to prison while his co-defendant awaits sentencing in federal court.

Charles Jon Thompson, 41, was sentenced March 25 in District Court to concurrent four- to six-year sentences for counts of conspiracy to deliver fentanyl and meth, according to court documents.

District Judge James M. “Mike” Causey gave Thompson credit for 192 days served and a $525 fine.

Thompson’s co-defendant, Kieran M. Cowan, 33, pleaded guilty April 2 in federal court to counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and meth, and being a felon in possession of a gun.

He remains held in detention ahead of his sentencing scheduled for June 13 before U.S. District Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal in Cheyenne, according to court documents.

Cowan had been investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation throughout last summer for being a suspected supplier in Gillette and Campbell County, according to court documents.

That investigation led to his arrest in September when the vehicle he was in was found with large amounts of meth and fentanyl.

In the course of investigating Cowan this summer, Wyoming DCI agents covering northeast Wyoming interviewed a number of people who identified Cowan as a supplier for Campbell County, according to an affidavit of probable cause signed by Wade Dupois, DCI special agent.

Cowan faces up to life in prison for his federal charges.

This story was published on April 20, 2024.