A man is accused of selling fentanyl and meth out of a Moorhead motel room as part of a narcotics operation that is the focus of multiple federal, state and local investigations.
Reegan Taylor Duchaine, 29, faces four felony charges in Clay County: first-degree drug sale involving 10 or more grams of heroin, conspiracy to commit first-degree drug sale, first-degree drug possession involving 25 or more grams of heroin and fifth-degree drug possession. The top charge carries a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
READ MORE > Clay County coverage
According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the Willow Inn and Suites on 8th Street South in Moorhead on March 17 as part of a weapons and narcotics investigation. Afterward, a confidential informant told investigators that Duchaine was staying at the motel and had fentanyl in his room.
Investigators learned Duchaine and a co-suspect were staying in a room on the second floor and that both were suspects in multiple narcotics investigations. The fentanyl was believed to be sourced by a known dealer in the Fargo-Moorhead area, the documents say, and a second source confirmed the pair were obtaining ounce quantities of fentanyl from the same supplier. Investigators also received information there may be a firearm in the room.
> Sign up for the MN CRIME newsletter
On March 19, officers observed a man matching Duchaine's description outside the motel. They obtained a search warrant for the room and during pre-surveillance the next day, Duchaine and the co-suspect appeared to have been tipped off and fled. Duchaine was apprehended, but the co-suspect ran into a different room.
Investigators got a second search warrant for that room and a search of both units turned up fentanyl stashed across multiple locations: 15 grams in a Tupperware container inside a black backpack, four grams in a plastic baggie inside the same backpack, 11 grams in another container in the backpack, 23 grams in a Tupperware on the dresser and one gram of purple powder also on the dresser.
In total, officers seized 54 grams of suspected fentanyl and one gram of suspected methamphetamine.
Duchaine waived his Miranda rights and admitted to selling fentanyl and meth, telling investigators his co-suspect was the one who obtained the narcotics for them to sell, according to the complaint.
Court records show Duchaine has a prior felony conviction for possession of methamphetamine from March 2024 in Cass County, N.D.
RELATED: Pair Arrested for Drugs After Moorhead Motel Investigation
