DILLON — One of the three people arrested on June 8 in a Dillon drug bust faces three felony charges after authorities found more than 100 pounds of dried, unwashed poppies at a gas station and truck stop on Rebich Lane.
WATCH: Montana's Motor Carrier Services busts drug operation near Dillon, seizes over 100 lbs of drugs (June 11, 2026)
During the raid, police arrested the owner of the business and found two other men grinding down poppies in the basement.
Pawandeep Randhawa, 42, is charged with conspiracy to commit operation of an unlawful clandestine laboratory, conspiracy to commit criminal production or manufacturing of dangerous drugs, and conspiracy to commit criminal possession with intent to distribute.
Randhawa was arrested after a trucker made a tip to the Montana Department of Transportation Motor Carrier Services weigh station in Lima. Beaverhead County Sheriff David Wendt told MTN News that after a week and a half of monitoring the truck stop, more than 30 law enforcement officers were on the scene for the arrests.
The sheriff described the drugs as an uncommon schedule-two controlled substance.
“You can consume it, and it has kind of like almost the same effect as Fentanyl or an opiate, and then you can use it like in tea, and it kind of messes you up,” Wendt said.
Court documents show that Randhawa’s attorney made a motion to reduce bail set at $750,000. Margot Newman, deputy county attorney for Beaverhead County, is opposed to the motion.
Randhawa is currently being held at the Beaverhead County Detention Center. All three individuals will make an initial appearance in District Court on July 7, 2026.
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