A multi-agency operation that began in 2023 has taken down a drug smuggling ring linked to the Netherlands and Mexico, which was transporting fentanyl into Montana, Arizona, Texas, and Washington.
Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said that the investigation, known as Operation Windmill, resulted in the arrest and conviction of 13 people.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen sentenced the final defendant, 47-year-old Adam Joseph Sarvis of Butte, to two years in federal prison followed by five years on supervised release. In March 2026, Sarvis pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Gerad Punch, 41, a US citizen living in the Netherlands, oversaw the trafficking enterprise. Punch collaborated with 39-year-old Phoenix resident Bernard Cowley Glass Jr. to transport Mexican-sourced fentanyl across state lines. Punch received a 20-year prison sentence in February 2026, and Glass was condemned to 15 years last month.
Federal authorities detailed the sentences handed down to the other ten co-conspirators this year:
- Freddie Lee Carter: 11 years, four months
- Dwayne Nyron Punch: 11 years, four months
- Carrie Jean Bishop: nine years
- Brooke Rose Louise Cadonia: nine years
- Diana Michelle Karnes: eight years
- D’Andre Dontae Glass: four years
- Sadie Cheryl Sawyer: four years
- Shawn Michael Scholler: three years, 10 months
- Spring Marie Davis: two years, eight months
- Zane Nicholas Schafer: two years, eight months
According to court records, Punch began assembling the network after meeting a convict during his 2018 prison stint. That acquaintance connected Punch with a supplier in Phoenix who sourced narcotics directly from Mexico. Punch and his brother, Dwayne Punch, distributed the fentanyl from there.
Punch later moved into Montana after a Washington dealer introduced him to Brooke Cadonia of Rocker, who had connections to local distributors via Sadie Sawyer.
Investigators discovered the network in October 2023, when an informant revealed that a person using the identity “Jeremy Holbrook” was transporting fentanyl tablets into Butte. Agents recognized Holbrook as Punch and determined that he had been sending narcotics into Montana since early that year.
After the Butte informant notified authorities of an impending cargo intended for Helena, the US Postal Inspection Service began an investigation into shipments supplied by Punch. Concurrently, postal officials in Arizona discovered suspicious goods bound for Texas from Bernard Glass, suggesting the larger nationwide collaboration.
As distribution grew, Punch and Glass made frequent trips to Montana to work with regional buyers and local dealers. Federal and state authorities followed traffic between Phoenix and Montana, watched associates, and examined postal and financial records to identify payment methods.
“IRS Criminal Investigation plays a critical role in disrupting and stopping the flow of money that is the lifeblood of criminal activity, including narcotics trafficking,” stated Todd Wacaser, special agent in charge of the IRS-CI Denver Field Office. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we hold drug traffickers accountable, protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system, and help keep our communities safe from the violence, addiction, and harm fueled by the illegal drug trade.”
By autumn 2024, government enforcement had identified the syndicate’s financial structure and traced postal shipments to more than a dozen co-conspirators. Punch returned to the Netherlands during the investigation but was arrested upon reentering the United States in March 2025.
“Operation Windmill is a strong example of how the Homeland Security Task Force model is designed to work: bringing federal, state, and local partners together across jurisdictions to identify, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations Resident Agent in Charge Joseph E. Montbriand. “This case reflects the value of coordinated enforcement and intelligence-driven investigations, and we are proud of the work of our special agents and all of our law enforcement partners who helped bring these defendants to justice.”
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, with investigations conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.
“DOJ and its law enforcement partners are committed to the destruction of these networks and poisons they seek to bring to Montana,” Smith stated. “I’d want to recognize the outstanding work of the HSTF, which includes agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation. I also commend the prosecution team, led by Assistant United States Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus for the District of Montana, on their outstanding work. Our neighborhoods and children are safer thanks to the HSTF’s work.”
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