Columbia man sentenced in federal court for drug trafficking, illegal gun possession

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Columbia man was sentenced Wednesday for his alleged role in trying to distribute fentanyl and illegal gun possession, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.,

Ryan Knudsen, 31, was sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole, according to the release. Knudsen pleaded guilty on June 20 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and illegal gun possession. The release states he got the drug from a source in St. Louis and sold it in Columbia.

He allegedly told investigators that he usually received 350-400 capsules for about $1,400 and each capsule contained 1/10 of a gram of fentanyl, the release states.

The release stated that law enforcement was tracking Knudsen in August 2021, when he traveled to St. Louis and left a bag containing fentanyl at a Kingdom City car wash. Law enforcement later found Knudsen in a vehicle, long with a bag containing fentanyl and a gun, the release states.